Moon River and Me (NathanXOC)
by SRamos23
Summary: [UPDATE: On hiatus until further notice, read latest ch for info] A year before the events of the first game, a senior student, Matilda Thorne, gets involved with- of all people- Nathan Prescott, due to a drug refill he gave her. Now as they spend time together, she ends up falling for him. All she wants to do is help and protect him. Will he let her?
1. The Go-Between

**A/N: I know what you're all thinking: What is she doing writing something else when she has yet to continue the GenjixReader story. Well, since the second season of Life is Strange is coming out, I gave the first season a crack and fell for this bastard. So, while I'm procrastinating, I thought I'd write a story with him. The poor baby needs love! I'm also almost done with the Genji story, just a few more paragraphs and it'll be finished. Anyways, enjoy this one, too!**

Life was pretty boring today. I stare at the blackboard full of pictures behind the teacher, Mr. Jefferson. I always get bored in his class, lecture after lecture. I don't really write anything in my notebook for this particular class. Just to look busy, I doodle in it. No matter how long I've been in this class, it always feels like I don't get it, because the way he describes it all, sounds like it's a meticulous job to capture a moment through a lens. Even so, the photographs and homework I turn in seem to impress him enough to give me a passing grade. Actually, more than passing, I seem to be incredible in this class. Anyways, the pictures behind him are pretty bland. High res photographs that this hipster decided to filter in black and white. Making it look like a mess of blacks and grays. At this point he's gabbling on about one of the photographers we're studying, I forget his name. Something-Adams and our assignments have to do with landscapes in black and white. He goes on and on about it having to be about the angle and the environment and blah blah blah. In all honesty, I was placed in this class because of the newspaper, taking it the first year to get used to what I was doing; now as a senior, I was placed here for the sake of credits. I guess also for the school's publicity, "New famous teacher makes big waves at nowhere high school" I giggle, hiding my smile, but it's not enough to keep the hipster off my case.

"Miss Thorne, I may be a teacher, but I like to laugh at a good joke every now and then," he says, bringing all attention to me in the back corner of the classroom, "mind sharing your incredible joke that distracted you from my lecture?" I stare at him for a few seconds before glancing over at the clock, then back at him. He notices where I'm looking and snaps his head back to me, prepared for my response.

"I just find it funny that we have a minute and a half left before class ends, and you haven't even announced the 'Everyday Heroes' contest." He stares blankly at me, defeated. I cheer inside my head for my victory. He straightens himself and clears his throat before speaking.

"Thank you, Miss Thorne, for reminding me about the special occasion," he looks around the classroom as he speaks, "As you, all may know, our school, every year so far has participated in the annual national photography contest with it's running theme of 'Everyday Heroes'. Each student in the school will enter a photo with a subject of what they believe is an everyday hero. Then, yours truly will choose one photo and student as the winner, where they, along with myself, will jet-set to San Francisco where their photograph will be displayed in the Gallery amongst the other winners of other schools." He leads his gaze towards me as if addressing only me.

"I hope everyone will submit a photo." he smiles eerily just as the bell rings. As everyone bustles out of the door, say for a few students waiting to either help from the old hipster or something else, I pack my bag, taking out my pair of headphones and wrap them around my head. Letting the music blast so as to not hear anyone. I hurry to my locker, trading my bookbag with a smaller one. It holds my freshly washed gym clothes and tennis shoes. It's been a week already since school started, and the P.E teachers are gonna start grading us for having our gym uniforms. I had to search my room for this stupid thing. Musty and old, it smelled of weed and needed a good cleaning so I wouldn't get in trouble over it. I may be a stoner, but I'm not a dumbass. I hurry to the gym, which was so generously placed on the other side of the school. I barely make it before the bell rings again, only a couple minutes left before they lock the lockers. I quickly strip and change to the uniform, rubbing at the aging fabric. _Boy, I'm glad this is the last year I have to wear you_. I head outside where the classes are already starting to gather. The teachers with their whistles, calling for the student's attention. There's not a lot of seniors in this class. From what I could see, a lot of them had already taken their required classes the years before as pairs in the semester. I was naive enough to decide to take one class each year. I sigh at my defeat. For the today, the teachers let us have a free day, and soon enough most of the kids are already in groups, either playing basketball, walking the small track around the gym or playing volleyball. I sigh, walking is the last thing I need when my next class is, once again, gonna be at the opposite end. I spot two younger girls, huddled together and staring at the groups. I decide to approach them, _I got nothing to lose_. I greet them with a smile. The smaller of the two smiles back while the other, a punk goth it seems, pretends to not care.

"You girls don't mind pairing off with me?" I ask, neither seem to protest and for a few awkward moments, we stand around.

"Cool, I'm Matilda, you can call me Madi," I say, the two girls introduce themselves as well. The punk-goth is Alyssa, a heavier girl, especially next to Kate- the smaller one next to her.

"So, what do you guys wanna play?" I ask, already eyeing the volleys. They both shrug before answering.

"We were thinking of doing some laps around the track," Kate says, I pout at the idea. They notice this and wait for me to respond.

"How 'bout some volley. It'll do us some good since it's gonna be one of the first sports we play later." The two girl glance at each other, as if asking if they should go along with it.

"Come on, I'll even go easy on you guys," I tease, they give half-hearted laughs, but don't argue any further. I run to grab a ball and toss it over to Kate. She catches it haphazardly and I have to run back to them to make sure she isn't hurt.

"Sorry, forgot I said I was going easy on you guys," I say. She gives a shy smile and starts to move backward, ready to serve. Though the two girls aren't fully accustomed to the sport, they do a pretty good job for first timers. Our easy-going atmosphere doesn't last very long as one of the jocks ends up throwing a basketball our way, hitting a bullseye on Alyssa's head. Kate runs to catch the ball and I go to comfort Alyssa. She's not crying, but she's clutching the back of her head as if it's about to fall. The boys only a couple of feet away, chuckling away at what seemed to them a hilarious joke. Kate comes back with the ball, ready to toss it over. I turn to her and held out my arms for her to pass it. I gaze over to the boys, giving them a sly smile, one of them gets ready to catch. I don't throw it to them, instead, I aim it just below the basket and throw. The ball doesn't make it, not even close. Instead, it falls smack-dab on one of the boy's face. A loud thud is heard, followed by a moan from the poor bastard. One of the teachers rushes over to him to reveal a bloodied nose. He points towards me, getting ready to throw me to the dogs. I recover.

"Sorry about that!" I yell over to them in a flirtatious tone, the teacher turns towards me.

"We'll work on your aim, a'ight?" he says and I give a thumbs up. I turn back to the girls who were practically using me as a barricade.

"Come on, let's move somewhere where they won't hit you," I say, trying to comfort her and lead them to the other side of the gym. I glance over to see how the boy is doing, most of his friends are surrounding him, laughing at his bloodied nose. One of them seems to see us and glares at me.

"Who's the guy staring daggers at us?" I ask them, thinking they might now. Alyssa looks over but turns back in a heartbeat.

"That's Nathan Prescott!" she whispers as if he could hear us from all the way over here. I examine him a little better before he turns back to his posse.

"That's the Prescott kid?" I say, a little disappointed. I had honestly thought he would look more intimidating. He just looks like the textbook example of a rich brat. No ugly gym uniform, instead it's replaced with a matching tracksuit with expensive looking fabric. He also seems to be quite a small kid. Aside from that, he isn't too hard on the eyes. Nicely slicked back dirty blonde hair, somewhat curly. A well proportioned, sculpted clean face. I don't think I was blushing, but if I was, it wouldn't be surprising.

The three of us continue playing until the hour is up. We all dress out and head to our own classes. I wave goodbye to the girls as they head the opposite way and blast my music on my way to my next class. The rest of the day goes by pretty quickly, as there isn't much to do in the second week but go over the class' syllabus. I stretch as my last class finishes. Walking down the hall, I'm suddenly stopped by Jefferson.

"Miss Thorne!" he calls out. I pause; if only I had my earphones on. I turn around and walk over to where he's standing.

"I wanted to speak to you privately," he starts, leading me inside, I roll my eyes, "I've been getting the feeling that you haven't enjoyed my classes all that much, despite the amazing work you turn in." I decided to pop his bubble.

"It's not really that," I begin, " it's just that I've already taken this class already, and, there's not really anything new for me to learn that I already learned previously," I add in a sorry at the end, I think I meant it. He sighs, clapping his hand to his chest.

"You break my heart, Miss Thorne. But I get it, you won't progress with your art if all you hear is a repeated program." _Uh oh._

"Which is why I want to give you a special project," he reaches into his desk for a portfolio.

"Is it something aside from the usual work and contest?" I ask, treading carefully.

"No, well, yes," he brings the portfolio out and opens up to a random tab, "I still wish you'd turn in a photo for the contest, but," he flips through a few laminated photographs and worksheets, "I want you to do a separate assignment." He finally stops on a photo of a feminine model with a cigarette.

"What's this?" I finally ask. He turns to face me, a sly grin on his face.

"My assignment for you," he shifts in his seat, "Now, this is my own photograph, the concept: what I believe to be beautiful." I take a closer look, the model seems like they don't really feel bothered with the camera right in front of their face, the cigarette just barely hanging onto their lips.

"You want me to take pictures of smokers?" I ask bluntly. He forces out a chuckle, he's mad.

"No, Miss Thorne, I want you to take pictures of what you believe to be beautiful," he turns back to his photo, "now, you don't have to take one that exactly replicates this, but I do wish it would have a style that you are capable of producing." I stare at him, then at the photo. It sounds easy, but the actual process would be difficult. Especially since this seems to have been staged to his preference. I nod, however, with the urge to leave.

"A'ight, I can get behind it," I glance towards him, "and you said it can be whatever I want?"

"Huh, no," he says quickly, "what you see as beautiful."

"Same difference, right?" I retort, stepping away, "I'll start when I can and show them to you once they're developed." I leave his classroom and he looks about ready to say something, but I already have my headphones blasting music and coming close to the entrances.

In my room, I throw my bag to the floor then climb up to my bed. It's a little higher up since there's a chest of drawers below the mattress. A vanity/ desk is at the foot of the bed. On the opposite wall is a rack of clothes- the closets here are way too small- next to that is a long shelf with books, cd's and DVD's squeezed together. On the second to last shelf is a boom box. Next to my bookshelf is an elongated black mirror and next to that is my regular built in closet.

I stretch my arm under my pillow, reaching for a mesh baggie, taking a look at the "greenery"

"Shit," I curse, pushing it back in, "almost empty." I sit up and search the courtyard through my window. No sign of Justin and the skater stoners. _Guess they're in his dorm_. I head downstairs to the boys' dorms. His room isn't too hard to find, just look for the one that smells the most and with the loudest rock music. I knock hard with my fist, a thud is heard from the other side and the music gets lower.

"Who's'it?" a slurred voice asks from the other side.

"It's me, Mat!" I yell through the door. There are a few thuds before the sound of the door unlocking. The waft of weed blasting through my face. _Jesus Mary Jane_. I step in and close the door behind me. Trevor's lying in front of the bed, zonked out. A few of the others have a game on. The window is sealed shut and I walk over to give it a budge.

"At least open the window before you stank up the whole building." They started giggling at my words, Justin taking a seat on his bed. I crossed my arms and stared him down.

"Speaking of which, where'd you get your stash?" He took a moment to reply.

"Same place as usual," he made no eye contact, he was always a bad liar.

"Bullshit," he perked up a little, "we all know that asshole Frank'as been raising the prices of his goods. Even you dumbasses can't afford such a hefty price." He was still avoiding eye contact so I had to lower myself to his eye level to psych him out.

"Whos the go-between?" I ask, nonchalantly. He sighs heavily, looking at me with puppy eyes like he's in trouble.

"I can't tell you, he said he'd rat us out if we did." He only managed to confuse me, I would've thought that it be someone like Hayden hiding the goods. By the sound of it, it sounded like someone powerful. _Wait a minute_.

"Don't tell me you mean that Prescott kid." He suddenly shushed loudly, the other boys staring at me with terrified eyes.

"Whoa girl, he has eyes and ears everywhere," he whispered, paranoid. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you still gave me enough info." They looked at each other, gasping at their realization. I strolled out of their room, taking some perfume out and spritzing a bit over me.

It wasn't that I was addicted to weed, it was more like an anxiety after having a small amount left. It's hard to explain why it happens. After a few moments, my eyes wander over to his room. The least he could do is give me a price. A little less confident than before, I walk over to his room and knock. No answer. Try again, a little louder. Still nothing. I sigh and try while asking aloud, "Is anyone in here?" Nothing. Suddenly the entrance doors open up, I start to panic at the thought of one of the teachers coming in. My heart drops as Nathan Prescott turns the corner and immediately freezes, probably taking a double take.

"Who're you?" he asks, getting his keys out. I step aside and try to regain my confidence again.

"I heard you pass out 'grass' to the kids here," I stand at the doorway, not confident enough to step in.

"That's a pretty strong accusation, what's it to ya?" he drops something-guessing his backpack- on the floor.

"It's no accusation, more of a question," I say as he turns back to face me. He squints his eyes a little.

"I remember you," he chuckles, not humorously, "you're the bitch that wrecked my friend's nose." I hold in the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yes, that was me, but whatever, at least it didn't hurt you." Actually, looking at him at this close distance lets me distinguish more of his features. He had bags under his eyes, not very heavy but still visible. Thin, but still dark eyelashes. His eyes were a little lifeless, he must've hit something earlier. He also had quite the gap between his teeth. Mr. Handsome wasn't as much as he led on to believe, but he wasn't so bad-looking. I think he noticed me staring as he shifted a little.

"I'm not here to start anything, just name your price," I stated, he looked a little- dumbfounded? He, however, regained his composure and leaned against the door sill.

"Ar'ight, I give you some weed, what do I get in return?" I looked at him in confusion, the hell did he mean.

"Uh, money?" I say, my eyebrow still arched. He laughs, again, not very humorous, and shaking his head.

"I already got money, you're gonna have to give me something better." He was about to shut the door when I stuffed my foot between the door and frame.

"A'ight. If it's within my capabilities," I sighed a little, and spoke through my teeth, "I'll give you whatever you want." He smiled with glee- and victory. He opened the door a little more and gestured for me to enter. I closed the door behind me, leaving some wiggle room. He then pulled his sofa out, skidding the floor. Behind it was a shoebox full of other shit. _Damn, this kid really is loaded._ He tossed me one of the bags with the greens. I inspected it before turning to leave.

"Wait!" he said loudly and reached for a sticky note from his desk, scribbled something then stuck it on my forehead.

"So you don't forget." I pulled the note off and read its contents.

 _ **I owe Nathan Prescott a favor :P**_

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and stuffed it into my pocket, walking out.

In my dorm I stuffed the new supply with the rest, pulling out a small chunk for some use. I stuffed the roll into my purse with my camera and walked out. Taking a quick look at my phone's time, I rushed out.

Surprising to no one, Blackwell isn't the only school in Arcadia, at least not in its surrounding populous. There's a normal high school at the other end of the city, just outside the limits. It's a lot more chill, as it's a public school. I never went there, no Blackwell student has, but I still managed to meet some people from there. After a couple of minutes waiting outside the parking lot, I finally see one of them or more like the only friend left. There was drama with the others, and he's the only one that still remains. His name's Jonathan, but he likes to be called Jo.I honked to get his attention, he had a slow pace that made me press the horn harder.

"Chill, fuck," he says lazily as he enters. I don't start the car immediately, instead, I stare him down until he freaks out.

"What?"

"Put your seatbelt on, dumbass."

"Fine, mom!" he says, trying to get a rise out of me.

"Fine, you can die for all I care." He scoffs. His seatbelt finally clicks and I start my car.

"Where we goin'? Two Whales?"

"Nah, the forest."

Jo was grazing his lips over my neck, his arms wrapped around my waist. I ignored his advances and aimed my camera to a pair of birds perched on a pine above us.

"Your school sounds so easy," he said, letting me go.

"Easy, but boring," I retorted. He only chuckled, walking ahead of me. I snapped the photo before catching up to him.

"Then why don't you take it easy,"

"I would, if my scholarship didn't depend on it." We reached a cliff that went straight into the Pacific waters. I aimed my camera straight below, letting my bare feet show. Without warning, Jo wrapped his arms around me, pushing me forward a little bit, then hauling me over his head.

"Jo!" I scream out in fear. He puts me down on the other side of him, laughing his little ass off.

"What the hell, you know how scary that dive is for me!" I pat my chest as if it'll help my heart slow down. Jo starts stripping, still chuckling over his prank.

"Take a picture of me," he says, closing in on the edge. I get closer to him, moving to his right and kneeling. I aim the camera over the edge and a little below.

"Ready when you are," I say, he backs up a bit, then rushes to leap off and dive. I press the shutter button, almost breaking it. After he's well into the water I peek to examine his condition. Jo's a stoner and a goth, but he's also surprisingly athletic. He gives a loud whoop from below. I laugh, I never get tired of his little trick.

"Bring my shit down!" he yells up to me, I can barely hear him, but I get what he wants. I find a path around that takes me a while to trek. On my way down, I run into two girls. A blue haired and a brunette. They seem familiar so I smile and give a short wave. Only one of them, the brunette, responds. We move on and I hurry as I realize it's been 15 minutes. I rush to Jo's side who's cuddling himself for warmth.

"Where've you been, my ass is freezing down here," he gestures at the tall shadow covering us both. I giggle a little and hand him his clothes. We sit on a couple of rocks, feeling our asses get wet from the rising tide. I look over my shoulder where the Lighthouse looks down on us, I take out my camera and snap a photo. It's not beauty, per se, but it is haunting.

"Got any weed?" Jo asks, I reach for my purse and pull out my premade roll and a lighter. He takes them from my hands and lights the bud.

"You almost out, aren't ya?" I shake my head, looking over the horizon of the ocean where a few scattered boats seem to be circling the area. I snap a photo as they get closer.

"I thought ol' Bowers was cracking down on the kids here?" I nod and turn my head towards him.

"The asshole's gettin' too cocky. He thinks he owns all the junkies in Arcadia," I pout, looking over the pictures of Jo's jump. He leans to look over my shoulder and points to the one he likes most.

"I'll send it to you, but I have to pick a different one for my assignment," I say while I continue to scroll through them. I stop at one where his feet dangle and his arms outstretched. After deleting the rest of those pictures, I return my camera to its safe place.

"Then where di'you get it?" he asked, handing it to me. I took a moment to choose my words carefully. Nathan Prescott hadn't made any warning to me about telling anyone else, but Justin and the boys were still scared of him for one reason or another. Plus, he probably wouldn't like it if a guy from a normie's school was coming over for refills.

"Someone else, a go-between," I decided to say. It was vague enough so that he would only ask a few questions.

"Pft, no wonder Frank thinks he owns the junkies," he turned to me to take the bud, "they're all coming from Blackwell." I nudged at him, while the mood had been light, it soon got heavy.

"Have you visited your dad?" he asked out of the blue. I felt my body go rigid, but I managed to respond

"I haven't seen him in two weeks." He pressed on, handing me back the bud. I needed it more than he did.

"Why?" was all he asked. I turned to him with frustration, a venom in my voice.

"Because I'm waiting on my mom," I think I was trembling. He must've not noticed, cause he still went on.

"You have a license, you can go by yourself," he finally looked at me. There was still quite a bit left of the bud, but I still snuffed it out on the rocks. We stood up in unison and he reached for my keys.

"I'll drive us," he offered. I asked where and he only shrugged his shoulders.

"How 'bout my place?" I nodded in agreement and we headed back up the cliff to where we'd parked. The car ride was uncomfortably quiet, my radio's busted. So I spent the majority of the trip staring out the window, passing the houses and noticing the little changes that were being made for the holidays that are yet to come.

Jo lives alone with his mom, she works the afternoons and overnight at a bar. So we have the house to ourselves for the rest of the night.


	2. Favors

The morning in Jo's house was eerily quiet. I think his mom got home only just a couple of hours ago. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the light from the window. When I'm finally able to, I look at my phone, it was turning to 7:00. I roll over the bed, searching the floor for my clothes.

"That's pretty gross," a voice says, I turn to look for it and find Jo almost naked on the bed. The covers over his torso and below.

"Well, it's all I have," I respond while pulling my skirt up. The bed creaks as he turns over.

"I'll let you borrow something from my mom." He leads me to an adjacent room in the hall. He opens the door carefully, Lizzy, his mom, is probably asleep. He goes in by himself, I stay at the door. He takes some stuff out and comes back with a white blouse and washed jeans. She's a little smaller than me, but the clothes are able to fit snuggly. After I've changed we head out to the two whales.

"Hard to believe a Blackwell Scholar student can still afford to buy from Two Whales," he mocks, I scoff at his remark but still giggle at his point. We both grow silent at the sight of the old musty R.V.

"Harder to believe a drug dealer is so okay to show his ugly mug in a public place," I remark in a disappointed tone. He can only nod as we come to a stop. The late summer air is still chilly, raising the hair on my skin. Inside we take a booth furthest from Frank.

"Don't think he'll be too happy if he finds out someone's taking away his business," Jo warned before taking his menu. I sighed out of exhaustion. _Frank would try, but he'd fail miserably._

"Just as long as you don't say anything about it," I warned, he scoffed. He never could take Frank seriously.

"Oh please, you didn't even give me the name of the go-between," he sounds incredibly upset. I already know it sucks to be kept from a secret, but the last thing I need is a normie student knocking at Nathan Prescott's dorm room for drugs.

"Who was the guy anyway?" he asks, I try not to sigh.

"I don't know, I couldn't see him, and he didn't give a name, I think it was just some kid from the school," it's the best I can come up with on short notice.

"Ah, what a leisure life," he teased. Our breakfast was brought to our table, we're both piss poor so our meals are mostly shared and small. After that, I drop him off at his school and head off to mine. The classes are mostly unimportant, just a lot of reviewing of last year. I take this time to go over some of the homework I missed yesterday. Jefferson's class is the same as always. Though he decides to take me outside to talk about his special project for me.

"I feel like you possibly didn't get the message of my project for you," he talks to me like a parent to their child, "you can't just go around taking pictures of random things you see on the street, they have to be well thought out. Have to line it up correctly so that the-" At this point, I'm already taking my camera out and scrolling to Jo's photo.

"This is quite the amazing photo, Miss Thorne, you did a magnificent job at capturing him in his free jump. I shouldn't have doubted you, and for that, I apologize. You don't show it much, but you are quite gifted at this particular art form-" He then continues to draw on about my work, and I guess the "ethics" and "procedure" I took to take that photo. I glance over the classroom, most of them are only taking this for extra credit, like I said before, it's also for the school's publicity.  
I would love to write a story about this established norm that the school's image is far more important than the student's mental health. The staff can catch the students with drugs, but in order to avoid a scandal, they'll let themselves be bought with a few hundred Benjamin Franklin's from the parents. One can only imagine the depths the Prescotts would go to make their little son seem like the best student to represent Blackwell. Well, in all honesty, they're not wrong about him best representing the school.  
The school bell snapped me out of my deep thoughts and Jefferson's lecture. The rest of his class was the same as always, with a bit more encouragement to the students to enter the Heroes contest. At the very least he didn't address me so much as before. P.E class was a drag, though I was glad the girls were still friendly with me. I avoided Nathan Prescott as much as possible. I instead focused my attention on the girls, making sure they were able to keep up with the exercises. The first thing they make us do is a few laps around the track. I keep to my own pace until the girls show signs of exhaustion. At that point, I decided to catch up to their speed and give them a few pointers.

"Don't drag yourself, keep your body firm," I see Kate flinging her arms around, "and make sure to keep your arms steady to your body. Try not to move them around too much." After that, I continue on, finishing up my lap. Unluckily for me, Prescott decides to approach me.

"So that's who you're keeping company?" he slows down next to me as we make a stop, "Honestly, I never took the fat goth as a druggie, but," he glanced over at them, then back at me, "people may surprise you." I roll my eyes, trying to make my breath steady before I speak.

"You have a lot of balls to say that so casually," I cross my arms, my breath and heartbeat finally calming down. He doesn't say anything more but before he leaves to go to his class, he leans in closer to whisper.

"Come over to my room tonight, I wanna take you up on that i.o.u," he says, leaving me with his smirk. I can feel my cheeks heat up, I tried not to think he meant it that way, but there was no way it wasn't. _I'm gonna go to jail, but that's what he wants_. 

I head towards my class, distracting my thoughts with something else. It suddenly dawns on me that I still have to train some new newspaper students. It's not a difficult task but it's still pretty tedious. The teacher is only there to supervise, the older and more trained students are the ones responsible for training. I thank my lucky stars for Juliet, she's a junior, but one of the editors I trust most.

"You seem deep in thought," Alyssa says as we continue our exercises, "I know how that is, just contemplating on your existence in this meaningless lifetime." I can't help but snort a little, she seems offended by this.

"I'm sorry," I try to apologize, "I'm sorry to say that I don't go that deep into thought," I go for a save. It's not much, but it still comforts her, I think…?  
The rest of the class goes by uncomfortably. The few times I glanced around, I would notice Nathan's cold gaze to me. He didn't even try to hide it, he wanted me to know he was keeping an eye on me. I can't say I know how I'll be able to keep my distance from him. Maybe Justin was right?- he does have eyes and ears everywhere.

The day continued forward and I was able to find some peace of mind in the other classes, however boring they may be. I realized I would have to send a text to Jo, to make sure he knew why I wouldn't be able to pick him up this afternoon. Not just because of Newspaper training, but the matters with Nathan as well. I kept that last part out, of course. He would catch on pretty quickly if he found out about Nathan.

The newspaper was like a safe haven. Much like the Student Council, the students dictated the decisions. The teacher is mostly there as a glorified chaperone. After entering, I immediately approach Juliet.

"Juliet!" we give each other a short hug, "thank the heavens you're still here." She laughed and responded, "Of course, you'd all be lost without my amazing stories!"

"No doubt, no doubt," I say as I lower my hands. We take a seat next to each other, waiting for the rest of the students to fill the room.

"So why exactly was the Newspaper delayed?" She went right for the kill. I take a time to respond.

"I don't either, well, aside from what I was told briefly, apparently, there weren't enough students that signed up," I sigh, remembering the other reason, "and I heard they moved our lab again." Juliet smacks her hand on the desk, grunting in fury.

"Those cheapskates. They're doing this on purpose, I swear," she leans back in her chair, crossing her arms, "this year will be the year I finally expose those asshats in the department of education! They just want to keep the student's voices oppressed by the bigger voices of the 'adults'," she continues to ramble on, I tune her out as I take a good look around. Much more female demographic than ever. I overhear some of the newbies chattering to themselves.

"I heard that even if you already took the photography class, if you take Newspaper, you'll automatically get into Jefferson's new class!" The girls squeal with glee. Of course, we wouldn't be getting any serious reporters. I sigh, bringing myself back to the conversation with Juliet.

"I promise, it'll be my number one priority before the end of the year!"

"You and me both, Jule," I agree with her. After all the remaining students are hushed, the teacher, Ms. Baker, stands in front to introduce herself then cues me to stand and introduce myself. The other students from the year before- that are now editors themselves- also make introductions. Lastly the newbies. We get started right away, and just at that same time, I notice who are the kids in it for the Jefferson free pass. Mostly girls, admittedly, not surprising, but some guys, too. Go figure. I don't really care about how enthusiastic they are about the class. So long as they turn in some form of work, we'll all be peachy. It's the teacher who's sometimes a pain as she insists the students to have more enthusiasm in journalism. She's an older woman, divorced with a daughter and son. Doesn't matter how well you know her, she'll still be very motherly towards you. While the students are practicing drafts, Ms. Baker calls for me at her desk.

"Before I forget, I was asked to see if you were interested in doing a piece about the new teacher, Mr. Jefferson!" despite her whispering, she still lets out an excited tone.

"Oh, Ms. B, I don't think I can add anything else that hasn't already been said by the larger news organizations," I couldn't care less about it, in fact. The last thing I could ever want to do is make a piece flattering him more than is already being done by everyone else in the school.

"Well, perhaps it can be something about his teacher side. That's certainly something that hasn't been added by other newsgroups," she presses on. I sigh, but don't agree to it, "I'll think about it, Miss." She smiles, that's all she can ask for, I guess.

As the day comes to an end, my mind can't help but think back to Nathan, he's got me wrapped around his finger, _that jerk!_ I try my best to hold off going to my dorm. It's inevitable, so I finally work up my courage and head towards the dorms.  
Along the way, I catch glimpse of the same girls from the trail in the forest. Mostly because of the blue haired chick. I approach them casually and immediately state my purpose.

"You guys wouldn't happen to know if Nathan Prescott is in his dorm already?" The girls look at each other, the blue haired one looking a little disgusted.

"Sorry, I- we, haven't seen him since lunch," the brunette says, a kind smile on her face, "But if we see him we can tell him you're looking for him." She pauses and before she can say anything else, the blue haired girl talks.

"What's your name? We'll pass along the message."

"It's okay, now that I remember, I don't think he knows my name," I say, trying not to sound relieved. The girls walk away, I finally exhale. Suddenly, I realize it must've been weird for me to suddenly approach them. They probably don't remember me from the mountain cliff. Once I'm in my room, I get a text from Jo. He's pissed for not picking him up. I reevaluate my situation. If Nathan isn't around, then it won't matter if I go out to hang with him. Then again, I don't want to risk running into him on my way out. I'm better off in my room. I pick out a red plaid shirt with simple black leggings, some under garments and head to the showers. It's better to shower at night, there are fewer people going in and out and more hot water. After I'm done, I immediately regret coming out of my room. As soon as I stepped out of the shower room, I'm faced with Nathan sitting at the entrance of the girl's dorms. I instinctively hide my bra and panties, just before Nathan notices me. He stands up and walks over.

"Don't make me come to pick you up again," he says, annoyance in his tone. I purse my lips, mentally preparing to make a run for it.

"Who let you in?" I ask, already knowing the answer. Either that brunette or the other junior girl, Victoria, I think. Birds of a feather.

"That doesn't matter, I told you to come to my dorm tonight, and you're still dawdling around here." I notice something else in him. His manner of speech is a little slurred, and, actually, now that I have a closer look, he seems to have deeper bags.

"Are you okay, man?" I ask, pushing my clothes to one side and holding his shoulder with the other. He pushes my hand off, a little effortlessly. I can't believe I'm actually concerning myself over him. His demeanor is looking less pulled together. I hadn't even noticed he was wearing some sandals with socks. Gods help me! An old and musty looking gray hoodie He seemed damaged.

"Ok, I'll go, but let me drop off my stuff first," I turn, and to my surprise, he follows behind. I snicker at the thought of him as a puppy. He already has the looks for it.

After leaving my stuff, and taking some of my homework, we head off to his room. I didn't notice it the last time, but it's surprisingly cold in here. The curtains are drawn, the only light coming from the lamp. His room smells like a museum. He gestures to sit on his bed with him. I leave my things on his chair, falling on the bed. We're quiet for a few moments before Nathan wraps his arm around my waist.

"Woah there, _ki_ _d_ ," I emphasize kid. He gives me a confused expression and I exhale loudly.

"You're not seriously thinking I would have sex with you, are you?" I pull his arm off me. He smirks a little more spirit in him.

"Why, because you think I'm a virgin?" he leans in with a smug face. Annoyed, I decided to tease him. I place my hands on either side of him, leaning in closer to push him down on the bed.

"Well, if you are experienced, why hesitate?" I say in a low voice. I can tell he's shocked and I can't help but laugh.

"Oh please," I stand up straight, "even if I was interested, I wouldn't dare touch you, too troublesome to get involved with someone younger than me." I think he's more relaxed as he removes his hoodie. He hands it off to me, saying, "Here," when I don't take it he drops it on my lap, "I know my room is cold." He stands up, walking over to his desk. I take the hoodie and pull it over for me. It's definitely old, the mustiness not well hidden by the cologne he must've dabbed it in. It's still warm, however, from his body heat I suppose.

"Since when does Nathan Prescott wear old hoodies?" He scoffs at my remark, I feel a little better.

"My jacket is in the dry cleaners, and the cleaning lady doesn't come until Saturday," he brings out his laptop. A high-quality desk top and a high-performance laptop, this kid has no idea how to manage his allowance.

"You poor thing," I add sarcastically, he doesn't respond. He's quiet for a while longer before I finally speak, "So, if we're not gonna be doin' it, what are you gonna be making me do?"

"I could just make you clean," his eyes are glued to the screen, "but that would be doing a service for the cleaning lady and not me."

"Oh, how generous of you," I mutter. He finally pulls away from the laptop and hands it to me.

"You're gonna have to do my homework for the week," he smirks. I glare at him.

"You can't be serious?" I lay the laptop next to me, "the sex thing I'll believe, but you wouldn't lower your standards to the point of making people do your homework," he only continues to smirk, I have the heavy urge to slap it off his pretty face.

"Since when does the 'genius' rich kid need someone to do his work?" I say, much more frustrated than before. He loses his smile and moves to lay on the bed.

"Just because I don't want to doesn't mean I can't," he shrugs, then silence, "if you don't do it, then you can go back to Frank and his sleazy prices." I spin to face him. He has that smug face again. I resist the urge to raise my hand. I take his desk, facing away from him. We don't speak to each other as I look over his assignment. I sort of remember doing this the year before, but it takes me a couple of tries to fully understand the process. After a few quiet moments, I finally speak up.

"So, what made you decide to steal away Frank's customers?" I ask; he's quiet for a moment, I think I can hear him laugh.

"Who says I'm stealing them?" he answers, unconcerned by my accusation. I try and think about what he's doing in a different perspective. In a way, he's doing a service to the junkies of Blackwell. He buys all the drugs and all the students need to do are just simple tasks for him. However that may be, he doesn't really gain income for it. He wastes his money on favors… _I'll never understand the rich._

"By the way, my friend Rachel told me about a goth chick looking around for me," he paused before continuing, "at first I thought it was Alyssa, but then I remembered a different goth I'd met before." I could already feel his sly smirk on my back.

"So what?"

"So…? Was she talking about Alyssa, or you?" he continued, "You see, I had to think about it for a while, I thought asking her for your name might solve this mystery, but she said the goth told her I didn't know her name."

"Are you implying all goths know each other?" I finally turn to face him, to my surprise, he looks irritated instead of mischievous, "that's like me saying that all rich kids know each other, oh wait!" I turn back around, getting too annoyed to continue. We stay silent again, his eyes staring holes into my back. I sigh loudly, "A'right!- my name's Matilda, but people call me Mattie, there, you happy now?"

"What about your last name?"

"What for?" I spin in his chair to face him properly. He's got his smirk on him again.

"So I can make a contract, make sure you don't forget you owe me every time I lend you some 'grass'." I roll my eyes and turn back, waving my hand to him.

"Do whatever you want, you're the one with the money." 

After an hour or so, he sighs heavily and turns on the monitor. He has earphones on, the music off. I hadn't even noticed he wasn't listening. I could've used that opportunity to vent. I sigh under my breath, typing faster. After I'm done, I decided to take a pee break. Also to take the opportunity to get a snack. Before I even have the door knob, Nathan sits up.

"Where you going?" he asks, I think angrily?

"I'm just gonna go to the bathroom and get a snack," I hold my anger down easily this time.

"I'll go buy the snack, but try not to get caught in the hallways," he lies back down, getting something from underneath his bed. I roll my eyes again and head out. Before heading into the bathroom, I stop by my room and make a quick blunt. Smoking half of it in the bathroom. I put the rest in a plastic zip lock and head back to Nathan's room. When I get back, he has an art movie on the screen. It's in a different language, but it still seems so creepy. Nonetheless, he watches intently.

"What movie is this?" I ask, breaking his concentration, He glances towards me, then back at the wall.

"'The Seventh Seal'," he says nonchalantly. I don't pay attention to the film all that much, but take a few glances while I work. By the end of the movie, and my work, he's dead asleep on his bed. Feeling much like a mother, I wrap his covers over him. He rolls around to face me. I think he's awake, I decide to explain myself.

"You'll get cold if you sleep like that," I try wrapping him again, he holds onto my hand, making it difficult. I sigh. _Well, there was no way I was gonna be able to leave this late at night._ I rest my head next to him. As my eyes start to get heavy, I take in his looks one last time. His long lashes rest softly on his cheeks. His mouth is slightly parted, letting me have a glimpse at his gap. His hair is messy and oily. His eyebrows a mess. However that may be, the same thought goes through my head. He is beautiful, I'm envious. My body finally gives in and I rest my eyes.

The sun isn't up when I'm awoken by a sound. My eyes snap open to find myself in Nathan's bed. Recalling back to the sound, I assume it was the door. Nobody's inside and I can hear a ruckus outside. My first instinct is to leave immediately, but knowing the sound outside can't mean anything good for me, I lay back down. The pillowcase smells pretty old and dirty hair. I roll it over, not making much of a difference, but still much more comfortable.  
After a few failed attempts at sleeping again, I decided to take a hit from the blunt still in the pocket of the hoodie. I manage to open the window, letting the cold breeze mix in and try to think back to the night before. I remembered I was lying next to the bed, but I was sure I never got in. Either I did it unconsciously, or the cold druggie prince pulled me up. After finishing up, I throw the last bit out the window and place everything back in its place. After another while of no Nathan, I look over my work, making sure I didn't mess something up, then begin to pace. Every now and again, I put my ear to the door, listening in for any footsteps. Despite it being this early in the morning, the boys seem to be up and about already. I grunt, finally deciding to just book it out of there. I gather my things and pull off the hoodie. Before it's even over my head, Nathan walks in. He stares for a moment, looking confused.

"I gotta go," I say as if I was just caught in a crime scene. He shrugs his shoulders and sits on his bed. He's wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but his hair is wet and his skin is clearer. I hand him hi hoodie back but doesn't take it.

"Keep it, I don't need it anymore." He isn't looking my way, instead, he's searching his closet for a change of clothes. That's my cue to leave.

"Remember! See you tonight!" He says on my way out, before I close the door all the way, I respond.

"Fine, whatever!" To my horror, across the hallway is a boy, around Nathan's age, staring at me as if he's never seen a girl before. Hell, he's probably never seen a girl exiting a boy's dorm before. I'm frozen in place as if mirroring him, we both don't know what to do or say.

"Why the fuck are you still out there?" Nathan asks, opening the door slightly. Once he catches glimpse of the boy across his room, he smirks.

"What's up beta-nerd? Never seen a hot chick this up close before?" He cackles as he pulls his head back in and shuts the door. I signal a goodbye to the kid and head off, keeping my head low.  
Luckily, the girls on the floor are all still asleep, or at the very least, still in their room. I decide to wash my face first before heading back to my room. I spend a good hour laying down on my bed. If only the day wouldn't start. If only it was a weekend or holiday. I could avoid everyone. There was no doubt that "beta-nerd" was gonna babble about my visit to Nathan's room. _What if he recognizes me?!_ Of course, I don't care if they talk about me, it's not something I'm not used to. It's about who I was met with. I'm a Senior citizen for Pete's sake! I'll look like a desperate whore!I shook my head violently, trying to throw out all those thoughts. Sometime later, I woke up to the alarm on my phone; the sun was already casting over my window. Some of the girls were already blasting their music in the hallways. I lazily stood up and changed, again. Once I gathered all of my things, I headed to the parking lot.

Jo wasn't too happy to see me, nonetheless, he still accepted the ride to school.

"You're creating more greenhouse gases by coming for me," he muttered, I rolled my eyes, pulling up in front of his school.

"I had to come up with a way to make it up to you," I answered, a little more sincere.

"Then come hang with me tonight," he asked cheerily. I hesitated, pursing my lips.

"I can't I…" I rethought my answer, "I have to do some stuff for the go-between,"

"That's how he's making you repay? Favors!" he bursts out laughing, exiting the car. He turned with a more amused smile.

"Whatever, you'll thank me when I can get more weed and pay zilch for it," I said humorously. To be honest, I didn't know for how long I would be in his good graces. Better to milk it while I still could. He laughed and waved at me, I guess in a forgiving matter.

I stare down the entrance of the school. Other students are walking around me as if I didn't exist. I inhale deeply before finally taking a step forward.  
I pray to every god I can think of: _Please, don't let me run into that "beta-nerd"!_

* * *

 **Bet you can guess who the "beta-nerd" is. I really do hope I can continue this story on a regular basis. :*)**


	3. Beta-Nerd

The morning was a little strange, I saw people staring at me. Students- and some teachers- examined me as if I was a new specimen. I heard whispers, but couldn't make out what they were saying. This continued until gym when the source of my troubles came along.

"You sure do love to change clothes a lot," he spoke pretty closely to my ear, raising the hair on my neck. I covered my ear, giving him a glare, he only smirked.

"What do you want, I'm not gonna break the 'contract'." He makes a mocking face as if his feelings were hurt. He breaks it and goes back to smiles.

"It's nothing, just don't go talking to that beta-nerd from this morning," he said, in a more serious tone. I giggled, covering my laugh. He looked at me in confusion, I decided to tease him.

"What? You scared a beta-nerd would attract this hot chick more than you," He looked much more confused, I only laughed harder and sped up. My cheeks started burning, that was much too embarrassing to continue.

While everyone was changing, Kate came up to me a timidly.

"Hey, Maddy, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together," she asked shyly. I smiled gently and agreed. She gave me a joyful expression and told me where to meet her. If it weren't for the rules of the school, she would've been skipping.  
She picked a table at the front lawn, next to the shade of a tree. I had gone to buy something from two whales, Kate had herself a "homemade" lunch.

"Oh, I forgot to get a drink," she said while looking through her purse. She pulled out some loose change and turned to me, "You want something? My treat." When she noticed my hesitation, she pushed further. I gave in and asked for a soda. She happily went off to her errand, leaving me in the empty lawn. Not that long after she left, a group of girls strutted over to my table. The leader, I supposed, stood in front looking down on me. Her eyes were fierce, I felt uneasy as she continued to stare. She finally stopped and exhaled. I took the chance to swallow.

"I know already," she began, "about you and Nathan!" I choked. She slapped her hands on the table.

"Excuse me?" I croaked out, still coughing.

"Though, I don't get why Nathan didn't tell me himself. I'll let it pass this time," I think she looked me over, "You seem alright enough, but!-" she got closer to my face, "don't go doing anything on Nathan that you'll regret! Got it?" She didn't let me answer and instead strutted away with her hench-girls. I was in a daze after that.

"Whoa, was that Victoria?" Kate asked just a few steps behind me. I couldn't respond. She sat down, then waved her hand over my eyes.

"You ok? Maddy?" I spun my head to her, the shock still in my eyes.

"Do you know a 'beta-nerd' in your year?" I asked immediately, she was recovering from my sudden action.

"Huh? Oh! No? Maybe," she nodded her head, then began to shake it, "I don't know what you're talking about?" She laughed nervously, I told her to forget about it and continued with my lunch.

I quickly do my homework, take a shower and change into my red-plaid pajama pants and a black tank. Before leaving, I stop at the doorway and take the hoodie. As I walk towards the exit I pull the hoodie over my head, when I suddenly hear someone calling me. After I can see again, I turn to find Kate at the door of a dorm, probably her room. I walk over, a gentle smile.

"Hey Kate, I didn't know you had a room in this hall!" I say cheerfully. I am genuinely surprised. Must be a number of Seniors that decided to live with their parents, leaving a bunch of rooms open.

"Yeah, I was lucky enough to get a room here, it's pretty cool," she sounds odd, "I was actually about to go make some tea, do you wanna join me?" I look at my phone, it wasn't six yet, so I had time.

"Sure, tea would really be great," I answered. She led me to her room where I took a seat on her sofa cushion. The room was amazingly clean, the windows wide open to let in fresh air. The smell of something outdoorsy hit my nose and I quickly searched around for it. My eyes landed on a cage next to her bookshelf and bed. A small, white and black spotted rabbit sat inside, munching on a piece of lettuce. I couldn't help but take my phone out and snap a photo. I examined the photo, swooning at its cuteness. It acknowledges the sound, as it turned its small head towards my direction.

"Oops, sorry if I scared you, little guy," I put my phone back to my pocket. It's about 30 minutes before Kate comes back, her kettle in one hand and a jar of honey in the other. She leaves it over a coaster while she drops the tea bags in two mugs. The smell is of a bitter-sweet peppermint. She opens the jar, dipping a large spoon in and pouring it into her mug. All I can do is eye the drops.

"You want honey?" I wave my hand, rejecting the idea of it. Too sweet for my taste.

"Hope you enjoy it," she answers, disheartened. Something bothering her? She completely avoids my gaze as I examine her. Something is definitely bothering her, but I decide not to pry. Let her bring up her troubles by herself. The tea is scalding hot, burning my tongue on the first sip. I take a few more moments to blow at it. She apologizes, but I wave it away.

"Maddy?" she finally begins, I nod, "can I ask you something? But promise me you'll answer me honestly!" she demands. I nod, getting worried. She takes a deep breath, before starting again.

"I heard a rumor- from a reliable source I might add- that you've been hanging around Nathan Prescott as of late," I freeze, "now, there's a lot of other things in it, like you're sle- staying overnight in his room, and talking in secret with him, but," she furrowed her brow, serious, "they can all mean nothing if the people mentioned in the rumor deny it, so…?" _Beta-nerd!_ I giggle nervously, covering my mouth.

"Before I answer, can I know who you're source is?"

"Alyssa, she heard it from Warren, a friend of ours." That must be the beta-nerd! My thoughts didn't distract me from the tone she used when saying "friend". She doesn't want me to accuse him harshly, I guess. I could tell her the truth, but she seems adamant about "mature" behavior. She wouldn't be too happy to know about my behavior outside of school. I fake a sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it from someone else, truly I am," I hide my eyes with my hand, "but it's only a misunderstanding," I look back to her, "I think your friend Warren saw me leave Nathan's room. I didn't do anything with him! I promise," I fiddle with my fingers, "We aren't dating, per se, but at the beginning of the week, some circumstances led me to help him out with his homework. He doesn't want anyone to find out, so, he asked me to tell anyone who asks that we're boyfriend and girlfriend," I lower my head, "that's why Warren believes we're dating because he saw us and Nathan just told him how it 'is'." She stared in surprise, I could tell. She finally picked up her mug and sipped it.

"That's kinda hard to believe, I never took him as the type to ask(she strained the word) people for things," she took a moment, "is he paying you?"

"Like, for tutoring, yeah," _In drugs._ She hummed, before smiling gently.  
"Well, I'm one to believe there's more to someone than outward appearances!" I smiled back, though a little forced. I didn't know what to think of him yet. 

I didn't finish my tea, but Kate wanted some time alone to practice her violin and let her rabbit out for exercise. I left and snuck to the boy's dorms. When I arrive at his door, the knob suddenly turns and he's walking out, frowning. He's surprised to see me.

"Didn't think you would show," he examined my stature, raising an eyebrow, "having a slumber party?" Now I'm pouting. I pull it back with a teasing smile.

"What about you, afraid I wasn't gonna show?" he doesn't answer, I roll my eyes, "I thought it best to wear pajamas, since I won't be able to leave your room until morning, like last night." I cross my arms, waiting for a snarky remark. He chuckles, then closes his door behind him.

"Not tonight, babe," he exaggerates the last word, but he's not facing me. I follow his gaze, to the door across the hallway. The beta-nerd. He's staring at us again, I pull up my hood in a heartbeat. Nathan wraps his arm around my shoulder, guiding me to the exit.

"Sorry, Gayham, no peepin' tonight," he says before we're across the exit. After that, his arm falls off me, but I keep my hood on.

"Who is that kid anyway?" I follow close behind him. He's looking down at his feet, I take another good look at him. His pants are sagging, a belt wrapped around for accessorizing. He's wearing a thin red jacket. It's not cold out, the sun is still up, but it's not really gonna get any warmer than it already is. We pass by some kids, the jocks hollering at him. He picks up his head, giving a chuckle as a hello. We cross the lawn to the parking lot, arriving at a red truck.

"This your ride?" I ask while he goes to the driver's seat. I head the opposite way.

"I would've thought you had like a sports car or somethin'," I sit in the comfortable chairs. Must be custom made.

"Sports cars are for the city, not Forrest Hicks," he answers, turning on the car and driving out. I roll my eyes, of course, by Forrest Hicks he means the rest of Arcadia Bay.

"Fine, where're we headed though?" I go for an attempt to change the subject. He complies.

"Just goin' around the town, I gotta meet up with Frank later, so we got time to kill." I nod along, in the back of my mind, a voice asks me what to do when I face Frank again? I push it further back, it was time to relax. We first went to a fast food joint, Two Whales was closed. I ordered something small, thinking about my budget. Nathan shocked me when he told me he was paying for everything at the window.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my change in hand. The lady at the window passed our food, waiting for payment.

"I'm not poor like you," he teased and handed a shiny silver card. I grabbed the food and made sure we had everything. I ate my stuff on the way to our next location. The beach. Dusk was ending, but there was still a few groups of people still walking along the beach. We stayed in his truck a while longer, finishing up our food. After that, we took a stroll around. Nathan seemed to love the idea of submerging his feet in. With nothing better to do, I copied and followed him around. A few steps in front of us, I see a father holding his young daughter by the arms. Dipping her feet down, the baby crying at the cold water. I take out my phone and snap a few photos. The setting sun in the background a perfect display of this tender moment.

"What's that for?" he asks me, I look over the photos a bit before showing them to him. My proud smile unable to leave.

"It's for the contest," he looks through them, nodding his head, "Jefferson will finally get off my case about this now." He returns my phone.

"Don't know 'im," he continues ahead of me. I try to catch up to his pace. For someone so small, he's surprisingly fast.

"He's that new photography teacher, ya know, the one every girl is swooning over," I laugh at myself. It's not a total lie. He looks at me with a quizzical brow.

"Every girl?" He exaggerated his words.

"What? His refined looks don't help his bad personality, but that's no reason to immediately hate him," I glanced at him, he was quiet for a while longer

"Why did you assume I was a virgin?" My cheeks immediately go red but I don't answer, he continues either way."Well, I'm not." I'm shocked by his openness. Though, I doubt it's something so personal to him.

"Then, neither am I," I smile towards him, "at least we have that in common." We stop near the end of the beach, stand around in the water until the sun is fully gone, then head back to the parking lot. 

We stop at a liquor store, Nathan heads out first while I decide on what I wanna get. I'm not a usual smoker, despite my habits, but it wouldn't really matter at this point. I leave his truck, making sure the doors are locked before heading inside the store. Nathan's in the back, eyeing the booze, but not picking anyone of them. I head over to him, standing behind him.

"If you're planning on shoplifting you better not go for the glass ones." He quickly turns away, glaring at me. I can already hear the clerk shuffling around in the front.

"I'll pay. You already paid for the rest, so this one should be my treat, especially since you're still too young," I grin a little too much. I go for the pocket on the hoodie, taking out my wallet. He scoffs.

"That's nice and all, but, this's useless to me," he grins, passing me and picking up a six pack of cans, "but I'll accept either way!" I lose all my animosity for him then. I had said what I did and there was no backing out now. We paid and loitered around in his car. I finally asked him what was up.

"So what's your visit to Frank about? Resupply?" He had his arm outstretched over the window, taking a few puffs every now and again.

"Party-favors," he answered and said nothing more. I gave him a mischievous smile.

"The ones you hand out to your friends for free?" I asked, he only smiled back, which was an answer enough for me. I cracked open a new can and gulped it down.

"Want me to drop you off or you wanna come with," he asked, throwing his butte out and starting the engine.

"Ooh, what a gentleman," I teased, "Nah, I'll come with, I have to face him sooner or later."

"Yeah, but don't go running your mouth about our little agreement," he spoke with a serious, tone. It caught me off guard but I was able to mod as an answer.

Frank doesn't like to stay in the same place twice. That's why he lives in an R.V. I stayed behind him when he knocks on the door. Frank immediately answers. He notices me right away.

"This's a surprise, the little prince of Arcadia carrying around a junkie!" he laughed heartily, his dog barking inside in rhythm.

"I'm not a junkie, I don't come to you every night, ya asshole!" Nathan pushed me behind him, keeping his gaze on Frank. I grind my teeth.

"She's just my servant-girl," he spoke so calmly, showing a small grin. I pouted at that title. A girlfriend at school, a servant-girl in all other public places.

"Frank, come on! It's getting really late!" A girl's voice from inside called and the dog barked with her. Nathan went tense at the sound.

"I'll come in a sec," he called back. They had some sort of short argument about not getting back in time. Frank finally handed the drugs over in a paper bag. It looked over-used with grease stains. I  
cringed at the sight. Nathan led the way back to his truck, I followed closely behind. We didn't speak for the rest of the way.

"That's a really gross bag he gave you," I said, trying to start some sort of conversation. He smiled, but still had an angry expression.

"As a drug dealer you'd think he could afford an actual bag," he says as he tosses the bag to the back, flooring the gas before I could even put on my belt.

"What the hell?! You could've killed me!" I yelled, but he didn't respond. He concentrated on the road. We headed back to the school in silence.

When we finally get to the school, he parks in front. I'm first to get out.

"You can go to your room if you want, I don't need you tonight," he said; he didn't shut off the engine.

"What about-"

"Forget it." He drove off then, almost running over my feet. _Don't even give a girl a proper goodbye after a date?_ I walked back to my room, the guards weren't that interested to watch the parameter. Just as I got to my room, my mom calls. "Yes?" I immediately answer. She sounds rough, she was probably asleep.

"Are you coming over Saturday?" she asks. I pause for a moment, not knowing how to reply. Surely, Nathan would let me have the weekend.

"Yeah, like always, but why-"

"I made an appointment to visit your dad on Sunday, so we have to drive over on Saturday," she responded, she didn't wait for an answer from me, "you can't run from this like last time." I nodded, then remembering we were on the phone I answered her. We hung up after that, not having anything else to talk about. I take off the sweater, open the window and light a blunt. The cool air feels nice after all the running around. I suddenly get mad, thinking back to how he dismissed me. I kinda understand, he doesn't really care about me, I'm his "servant-girl", after all.  
About an hour later, I see another girl walk through the courtyard in front of the dorms. She searches around, then her eyes land on me. They widen and I wave at her, then she hurries to the door. 

Morning comes and I rush out to the boy's dorms. The boys are already running around, half naked with music blasting in their rooms. Along with something else. I search the boy's faces, taking in their looks. Of course, a girl in the sausage fest gets a lot of their attention. Finally, I spot the "beta-nerd" Warren. I hold onto his shirt and drag him to the staircase. His face is pale, hiding behind his change of clothes.

"Unless you want me to be frightened by your horrendous style, you're not doing much to protect yourself," I say, letting him go but keeping the door closed off. He lets his clothes down, but still uses it as a shield over his chest. He squirms around some until he finally drops his head in a bow.

"I'm sorry for what I told everyone! It just happened,itwasabigshockafteralltoseeyouandNathan and-"

"Man, you're a wimp," I say in annoyance, my palm covering my chin. He continues to look at me in a worried manner, I swear I could see him shiver. I sigh.

"Look," I continue, "there's nothing I can do about it but accept the I try to deny it, then they'll only push it more… That doesn't mean you can get scotch free! You're still in trouble for spreading rumors about your elders!" Right then, Nathan walks up the stairs, scoffing as he sees me and Warren. He walks past us, smelling of something weird. I don't pry into it and refocus on the kid.

"For now, you can go back to whatever you were doing, but!- I will come back to give you a proper punishment." With that, I headed out, to the parking lot and head to Jo's house. He was already walking outside when I arrived.

"What got you out of bed so early?" I asked, slowing the car to his pace. He smiles and responds.

"A new girlfriend," he stops and gets into my car.

"Ooh, is she a junior?" I tease, he nudges me while putting on his seatbelt.

"S-sophomore," he says, in a quieter tone. Quiet enough that I almost miss it.

"Duude, that's sick," I said disgustedly, cringing at the thought.

"It's not like I'm gonna sleep with her, she's just for show,"

"Enough show to get you flustered," I tease, the age gap still in the back of my mind.

"Whatever, you're one to talk," he turned to me, grinning, "I heard you were makin' interesting friends last night." He smiles, ready to burst.

"Like what?"

"Like a sugar daddy," he breaks, barely able to finish his sentence.

"What the fuck, who?"

"I don' know, they just said he was some rich kid you were hangin' with yesterday at the beach, ahh," he sighs, I roll my eyes. He starts to pick at his eyes.

"I can't hang out with you on Saturday… and Sunday," I say, he turns to face me but doesn't speak.

"Is it that go-between?" he asks, annoyed.

"No, it's my mom," I glance at him, quickly then back, "uh, she's fine, but, she wants us to go visit my dad. She already made the appointment for Sunday." He doesn't talk, but I can already imagine that sly smile of his.

"That's good, I'm happy for you," he doesn't add anything else. We don't speak much until we arrive at his school again. I admit to him that I don't know if I'll pick him up later. He complains about taking the bus again, but I leave before he finishes.

At the school, I don't take three steps in before a girl grabs me by the arm and hauls me over to the girl's bathroom. It's the brunette, I think Nathan said her name was Rachel.

"Can I help you?" I ask when we're inside. She looks through the stall doors before turning back to me.

"Cut the crap, I know you saw me last night," she whispers, "I've been looking for you all morning, cause, I know this school talks a lot, and I know you're dating Nathan, so if you say anything about  
where I was last night, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" I push her off, then turn to face the mirror, "you spat on me, so I guess that won't be my punishment," I turn back around, hanging on the sink, "and since you seem to know Nathan fairly well, I assume you're a junior. Look, girl, if you wanna threaten someone, at least have something in mind before you go picking fights with your elders." She backed up, crossing her arms.

"You're not that old," she scoffs. I mimic her, fixing my eyes on her.

"Am I?" She's taken aback, releasing her posture; I start giggling, "Nah," I slap her shoulder, "I only saw you walk by on the courtyard, I don't know where you kids go off to these days. And frankly, I don't care." I turn to the mirror again, watching her reflection. She scowled at something else. I turned the faucet on and washed my hands. She finally returned her gaze towards me, determination flowing out of her.

"I saw you smoking, bet you don't want the school finding out, right?" I smile, raising my hands as I turn back to her.

"Guilty as charged, or at least until proven guilty, right?" I keep my eyes on her, as her mood changes again to a scowl and walks off. I relax my shoulders but, once again, I'm treated the same by the blue haired chick.

"What did you say to Rache?" she asks in fury. She was gripping my sweater, shoving me towards the sink, like the girl before her. I clutch her wrist, pulling it away. It isn't too easy, she must be the muscle of the duo.

"You can relax, blue knight," she eases up, "your princess already made the threats and bargain so you don't have to." She let go, but she was still fuming.

"If I ever see you do something to her-"

"I know I know, you'll tell the whole school: an insignificant goth's dating Nathan Prescott and she smokes as a hobby, boo hoo, woe is me. Look," I step around her, "I got a class to get to and I'm not gonna repeat this shitfest all over again, so bye," I promptly wave at her as I head out the door. I go towards my first class, catching a glimpse of the beta-er- I mean, Warren, in the hallway. I don't torment the kid and head off on my way. 

Jefferson is the same as always, but ecstatic as I present him with my photo for the contest. I had it printed in the teacher's lounge during one of my breaks. Though his excitement gets's out of hand as he decides to sample my photo to the class, earning me a few good frowns and pouts from the girls and some of the guys. I slouch into my chair as if my desk will protect me from their gazes. During the middle of the class, the rich girl, Victoria (I remembered as Jefferson called her name when she entered) came in asking to get extra help. He let her sit at my table. I think she was fine with it since I was someone she recognized. Plus, since I'm now "dating" Nathan, I think I'll end up seeing a lot of her from now on. She gave a half smile as she sat across from me. We didn't face each other for long as she decided to move around and face Jefferson as he continued with his lecture. When we were doing a self-study, Victoria faced me, looking swooned from her large dose of front and center Jefferson-eye-candy.

"You are so lucky to have his class!" she whimpered, "I would've taken this class if I knew the Mark Jefferson was gonna be teaching." She turned her head to look at him, biting her nail. Just as quickly, she turned back. I took a quick glance at her.

"I thought you needed help from him?"

"Oh!" she suddenly stood up, "you're right, I'll be right back!" She strutted over to his desk, her confidence taking leaps around her. I smiled behind my book. Aaah, to be young again.  
She returned, looking upset.

"Did he break your heart already?" I teased, putting my things aside.

"What?" she whispered, "Keep your voice down!"

"Like nobody has a crush on him," I whispered back. I think it was loud enough to get some people's attention. It didn't last long as everyone resumed their conversations.

"I didn't think you would like him?" she suddenly leaned in closer, "don't start getting any ideas involving Nate and Mark." I snort at her words but clear my throat afterward. She glares at me. I wave the comments away.

"No no, of course, I'm not gonna cheat on him. I may be older but that doesn't mean I'm heartless," I lean in my chair, she relaxes her posture. She'll get my sense of humor sooner or later. She looks distractedly at the desk until Jefferson comes to our table to "help", really though, he's just overlooking our work and critiquing- in his own way. Before class is done, Victoria looms to me with a serious face.

"Have you seen Nathan at all today?" I think back to this morning, seeing him walk into the boy's dorm. My mind was focused on something else, so I wasn't able to get a good look at him. I shake my head.

"I only saw him early this morning walking into the dorms, but I didn't get a good look at him," I answer. She swallowed her lips in a frown. My mind started thinking of the red lipstick she was wearing, it was gonna smudge.

"I'll go see if he's in his dorm," she stood up as the bell rang. I followed behind her, rushing to get my things.

"Wait!" I stop her in the hallway, "Can you ask him if he wants me to come over tonight?" Her eyes grow wide, then slant. She nods with an okay. I smile and wave goodbye to her.

Gym starts, and although Alyssa and Kate bombard me with more questions about Nathan and me, I try to answer as best as possible. There's no sign of him for the rest of the class. After that, I guess it means no Nathan at school at all. I run into Victoria later on and ask her after him. She gives a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you care so much about him," I'm taken aback for a bit, "he's fine, I went in and he said he had to go take care of some business. I'm guessing about his family." She looked away, distracted by something. I wave my hand in front of her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, oh! And he said he still wants you to visit him tonight," she nudges my shoulder. I grow hot. She giggles and leaves waving behind.  
The rest of the day goes by with no other event. I do get some quizzical stares and disapproving scowls from others, but overall, it's peaceful. The newspaper is when I really get the dishing out. Three younger students approach me at my desk. At first, I thought they were gonna ask about the newspaper, but I was taken aback to their confrontation.

"Is it really true that you're dating Nathan Prescott?" One of the girls speaks, she sounds angry. I furrow my brow, trying to follow the conversation. I nod in agreement. Now they're taken aback. The two other girls behind the front leader start whispering incoherently.

"That's not really fair, now is it?" she snaps.

"I don't think I follow," I admit. She picks up her chin.

"I mean, you're like a senior. So why are you dating a junior?" she crossed her arms, like a little kid with a tantrum. It reminded me of Nathan for a second.

"Well, he's a cute guy, he's smart, he's got money, a badass truck, why wouldn't I want to date him? Because he's younger? The same thing doesn't stop other students from dating younger ones." They were dumbfounded. They stared at me, not with contempt, but pure shock. The looked down to their feet and spoke in almost a whisper.

"Sorry for bothering you," they walked off back to their desk, not a word was heard again. Juliet came from behind me, slapping my shoulders.

"And that's why you're the Editor-in-chief." We laughed at my headstrong leadership skills. 

As I walked along the pathway to the dorms, my eye suddenly caught a vexed figure in front. He caught sight of me and immediately turned away. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and walked him next to the supply closet. He was stiff in my arms but obediently followed.

"Warren! My new best friend!" I call sarcastically, letting go of him, "I'd almost forgotten about my promise, thank goodness I found you so soon." He was slumping his shoulders, cheeks flushed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Again, I'm sorry, for, for talking about you behind your back." At this close distance, I noticed he was slightly taller than me, lanky arms with leftover baby fat.

"Don't even think twice about it," I slapped his shoulder leaning him close to me, "because you're gonna make it up for me." He sighed, looking at me with puppy eyes. I let go of his shoulders and crossed my arms. I wasn't gonna be moved so easily.

"Now, this'll only be for a week, since that's how long it takes for a rumor to die down. But first, do you know how to drive?" he nodded, "do you have a car?" He shook his head, going stiff again. I reached into my bag for my keys, holding them out to him. He took them hesitantly, then I reached for a pen and paper.

"I'm gonna make you do some of my chores. One of them is," I found what I needed and began scribbling, "to go to North Arcadia and pick up one of my friends. Don't get too excited, he's a guy. His names Jonathan, he'll recognize my car, but when he looks through the window hand him this," I gave him my folded impromptu note, "and make sure he gives you the right directions, and that he's not allowed to drive without my supervision. Got it all?" He nodded hesitantly. I glanced at my phone, then pushed him forward.

"Go now, he's about to leave school." He did as was told. When he was across the lawn, I called to him to not go messing around with my car. I headed inside, but instead of going to the girl's dorms, I headed to Nathan's room. After knocking a few times without a response, I wrote him my number and a message.

 **555-3480**  
 **Don't get too excited. I need some way of contacting you when you go ghost.**  
 **Call me when you get this.**

After leaving and going to my room, I couldn't help but keep an eye on my phone. It was so vexing.

* * *

 _ **I typed this up faster than I thought. I guess this is a much more enjoyable story to write. Don't know how long it'll be, I know I keep typing her life as every single day. But I do have it planned to skip a few months. Anyways, enjoy!**_


	4. The Mental Hospital

**I was in the middle of writing this when I suddenly thought of "Hot Gimmick". Then I started playing a lot of "Friday the 13th" the video game. I love it!**

* * *

When I was young, my dad was the center of my whole world. He would always get himself into mischief. He couldn't help it, we were poor, so he had to make the best of our situation. He worked as an office clerk at a marketing company. He was the one supporting my mom and I for the remainder of the years. But he had a dream. When he was younger, he'd dreamt to someday go to Blackwell Academy. Due to his circumstances, he was never able to. He said, while he hoped to have me go one day in his stead, he didn't want to push that burden onto me. That was his mindset about six years ago, now.

Something in his head happened, we don't know exactly. It started slow, with headaches and forgetting small things. Then they progressed, forgetting his own last name, the house address. Until the peak of this disaster, when he forgot us entirely. He barely recognized my mom, thinking she looked like his beautiful wife. The worst was saved for me. I was only in 8th grade, just 14 years old. He didn't even know who I was. Everyday he would ask me the same questions, "Hello sweetie, are you lost?" "Where are your parents?" "I have a daughter your age, she is a cutie, hmm, I wonder where she went?"

We couldn't afford to keep him in our house, or to afford a nurse coming all the way over to help. My mom worked at home, but that didn't mean she wasn't busy. Eventually, we decided to take him to a mental home, where they could take proper care of him. This was when his mindset was changed. Instead of letting his daughter decide her future, he hoped she would go to Blackwell. At first I didn't want to, my mom didn't push it either. But I was so desperate for my dad to recognize me. All I wanted was for him to call my name like he used to. So instead of heading to North Arcadia High School, I went to Blackwell Academy with a scholarship. I was seperated from my friends, except for Jo. He knows my situation. He's almost like a childhood friend, except I first met him back in Middle school at the start of my dad's downfall.

My forehead tapped against the cool glass of the car window. We were about another hour away from the hospital. The cars sped past us, creating streams of line. I brought out my phone and snapped a photo. My mom was driving, we were taking turns driving. I had driven us all the way from North Arcadia to Hillsboro. Now she was driving all the way 'til we reach Portland. I yawn, my body becoming restless from sitting in the car for so long. The whole day was pretty uneventful. The staleness ended up making me think back to Thursday, when I went to Nathan's room again that night. _Here it comes!_

It was much later in the evening when Nathan texted me. I was already changed into my pajamas. Just because we had a "date" last night, didn't mean we were gonna do the same thing again. I went in no hurry to his room, actually dreading having to go back.

 **Hey its nate**

 **Get yur ass here**

He wrote. I didn't text back and left my room. I saw no one else on the floor, which came as a big relief. I knocked on the door; it took some tries before I heard some shuffling around until it was finally opened. Nathan stood on the other end, pajamas with earphones wrapped around his neck.

"So you were playing hooky this whole day?" I said as I walked in. He said something incoherent and I just ignored it. I had a bag with my clothes for the next day and laid it aside. Nathan didn't say anything and laid back on his bed, turning on the small radio next to his bedside, where the earphones were connected. I sat there in silence while he looked at his phone. Then finally waved my hand in front of him.

"What?" he asked grumpily. I pouted. I couldn't believe he was acting like this now.

"What do you mean what? You're the one who ordered me to come here," I admit I was a little more than harsh with my tone. He looked at me with slanted eyes. I leaned back in his chair and crossed my arms.

"You're the one who still came," he answered defensively, but he didn't have a tone of anger.

"Well, I thought you still needed me to do your homework." I didn't know why I was speaking in such a manner. Thinking back to it now, I think I was just antsy over what happened the night before.

"You finished all my homework for the week on Tuesday, there's nothing else for you to do," he answered in an aloof tone. I sighed. _Then why am I here!?_ I screamed in my head. I reached in my pocket for a cigarette- leftover from the other night- and for my lighter. Opening the window I stuck my head out. After a few puffs, Nathan creeped up behind me, making my heart skip a beat. He took the butte from my hand and took a few puffs himself.

"So, now you're in a good mood?" I asked, still upset. He smirked but didn't answer. He took another hit before handing it back to me.

"Am I supposed to give you a prize?" he said, turning from the window and leaning on the sil, "I'm always in a bad mood." I turned to him, about to say something else, but swallowed my words.

"Then you're gonna be in a worse mood," I said instead. He glanced towards me, leaning in close.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I'm not gonna be here for the weekend,"

"Why?" He was furious, I could tell at least that. I took a deep breath before speaking. I didn't wanna lose my own temper as well.

"I have to go visit my dad, there's no way out of it. My mom already made the appointment." I was pouting again, he copied.

"So just come in the morning," he said calmly, taking the butt again and sticking his head out. I couldn't believe how easy it was, but I know better than to jump at his generosity. He definitely has some chores planned for me when I get back. We finished the cigarette pretty quickly. I lent him some others since he seemed keen to have more. Meanwhile I skimmed his library. He seemed to like a lot of classic films, but also had tastes of other more indie and obscure films. I snorted at the sight of "The Room". It looked pirated, but the fact that he had it in his collection was still hilarious to me. I think he heard my suspicious laughter and came over to investigate. When he saw the film in my hands, he snatched it and took out the dvd. I took a seat on his bed while he put the movie on.

"I can't believe you have a dvd copy of this train wreck," I said, unable to hold down my laughter. He looked to be in a better mood.

"You watched it before?" he asked, a cheery smile on him.

"Only once with a couple of friends. It totally sucked, though, there was a bunch of rowdy assholes in the crowd," I answered back, pouting as the movie started. We continued our conversation through the night while the movie played in the background. We talked a lot about our favorite things. Music, t.v, movies, games. It all culminated to talk about our families. While I dodged a few of his questions, he didn't give much in way of answers either. We ended up falling asleep on his bed, freezing from the cold. That's the only reason I can think of as to why we woke up huddled together. I was the first to wake up. Not wanting to change in front of him- asleep or not- I left to my room and changed there.

The Warren kid kept my car keys as he served as chauffeur for Jo, so I was left abandoned on the steps of Blackwell. Befriending some other seniors, I went out with them. They seemed a little intimidated at first, probably heard the rumor about me, but eventually warmed up to me. The day was uneventful, even if it was, I wouldn't have the enthusiasm to remember most of it. I went back to Nathan's room that night, he had his weekend homework for me. It was uneventful as the night before. We talked about our childhoods, he pestered me about coming from North Arcadia. Maybe he didn't see it , but there was such a thick line of contrast between us. I couldn't, and still can't, figure out why

I'm confiding in him so much. In these kinda situations, you'd think one would go to someone like Kate, or Jo, or perhaps with one of the seniors I met- given enough time, of course.

The thoughts rushed back to me like floodgates. Overwhelmed, I curled myself into a ball.

"Something bothering you?" My mom asked.

"What makes you think that?" i asked while i relaxed my posture. She gave me half smile with a quizzical brow.

"You haven't stopped fidgeting since I took over the wheel. If it's about my driving, I'm not so out of touch I'd crash the car," she answered humorously. I'm not in a playful mood. Having to visit my dad always depresses me. Instead I take a nap, or some form of it. The events of the other night came back again.

The movie had finished an hour earlier, the end credits lulling me to sleep. We were laying on his bed.

"How the fuck did you get in the school?" he suddenly asked. I went stiff from the question.. Why did it matter to him. It didn't look like he was gonna be

"Same as any other piss poor kid from North Arcadia," I answered sarcastically, it wasn't like it was a total lie. I decided to ask him about his family too, or at least what he was comfortable with revealing. He told me he had an older sister who was graduating from college this year and a stay at home mom. I don't remember him mention his dad, or at least, if he did, I wasn't listening. The rest of the conversation went stale until we both fell asleep.

I suddenly snap open my eyes after imagining myself back in his bed. Gods, it was so comfortable, maybe a little too soft for me, but I can't help but wonder why he has it like that. I didn't want to fall asleep again and went for my phone to text Jo. He texted back soon after, mentioning being on a date with his new girlfriend. I wonder how long those two will last. Jo wasn't exactly the type to keep the same girlfriend around for long. After another half hour, we arrived at the villa. It's small as it used to be a popular area for the pioneers back when. Now it's used to support people with disabilities and so on. My dad lives in one of the houses with a group of others, not like him, but in the same predicament. They're constantly visited by workers to help them with their daily tasks. I've been here since I was 14 years old. The people in the house change every other year, but my dad stays constant. We park the car and go up the walkway to the door. After knocking, the door is answered by one of the workers. He's a husky man with a bushy beard and man-bun. He recognizes my mom and I.

"Ah, Mrs. and Ms. Thorne! Your husband is in the living room, he's still watching his favorite t.v show," we walk past him into the living room. Just like he had mentioned, he's sitting there watching a late night talk show. I stay behind the sofa, letting my mom take the seat next to him. An older woman is on a table at the other side of the room, I decide to sit with her.

"Hi how are you?" I say while taking my seat, but keeping my sights on my parents. They start to talk and my dad brings on a bright smile.

"It's been a while darling," she says, "for a while there, I was worried you wouldn't come back after last time." I finally turn to her and notice the teacup.

"Are you reading your tea leaves?" I ask jokingly but as an attempt to change the subject. It works successfully enough.

"Heh, right. I'll leave the mystic reading to your mother," she glances over to them. My dad looks like a child listening to a story. I lay my cheek on my palm. It's better to observe than to actually experience it first hand. The last time was too much for me, but I know that mom will eventually want me to speak to him. My only viable excuse was that I was mentally preparing myself. Mom finally turned over to me, and that was my cue to go to them. The older woman whispered a, "Good luck," as I left the table.

"Hi," I say, my mom glares, "nice to meet you." I hold out my hand and he takes it with an amazed expression on him.

"Wow, you are quite the beautiful young lady!" he says, letting my hand go then, "My own daughter can't be, oh, three years younger than you." He turns to my mom, my heart starts pounding fast.

"What's your daughter like?" mom asks. He grins wider, getting much more excited.

"Oh, you'll love her!" he glances at me, then to mom, "She's such a good girl. She never brings trouble to this old man, haha," _I want to leave_ , "I actually hope that she can one day go to Backwell Academy. Do you know that school, young lady? It's just off the coast of this small town called Arcadia Bay. I always wanted to go there myself, but sadly, we could never afford it. But I know she'll be able to get in, she's incredibly smart and-" Before he could finish the sentence, I was already storming off to the staircase.

"I'm tired," I say through my teeth, "I'll be upstairs sleeping." I don't wait for my mom to respond and go up the stairs. Once inside the room, the waterworks flood out. My throat feels coarse with hiccups escaping out of me. I make my way to the bed in the room, wrapping the pillow around me and scream.

I don't remember when I fell asleep, but when I open my eyes I see my mom and dad lying on the floor. It's kinda hard to see with the dark and my yes swollen from the crying I did. I roll away and close my eyes again. I'm not falling asleep again, I tired myself out earlier and now I'm full of energy, but I remain this way anyways.

On Friday the other day, Nathan went to his classes. The girls were less curious about the rumors, and good ol' Warren reported on his endeavor with Jo.

"He was really mean about it, I don't know the situation between you two but… you should probably call him or something," he hugged his shoulder, I shrugged.

"Eh, he'll get over it," I answered. He reached for something in his pocket and handed it to me.

"He also told me to give you this. And to leave a message," he cleared his throat, "Maddy, I need some space for this girl." He attempted to imitate Jo's voice. I snorted and opened up the note. It was just as the message said, he wanted to have some space between us for the new girl he likes. I didn't really care much, but I was happy for him. I looked back at the kid, and tilted my head, "Are you gonna start complaining about something?" He looked shocked and shook his head violently. I slanted my eyes, "Good, same thing on Monday?" He nodded and I left afterwards. After finishing my homework for the weekend, I went to his room again. Once inside, he was typing away in his computer, barely hearing my knocks before answering to my slams.

"The homework is on the bed," he said before going back to his desk. We didn't speak for the rest of the evening until he finished up and grabbed his keys.

"You hungry?" he asked in a slurred tone. I had been on my phone for the past hour after finishing his homework. He looked way too tire to be driving around.

"I'll go if I drive," I held out my hand for his keys. He pouted, but didn't fight. He dropped them in my hands and I led the way to the parking lot. This time around, we didn't encounter anyone else and merrily left to the Two Whales. At the diner, he couldn't stopped yawning until he drank a soda.

"If you're so sleepy, why didn't we just stay in your room?" I asked, frustrated with his constant yawning.

"Shut up, I was hungry," he laid his head on the table,, probably napping. We ate and left later, I took a quick smoke before we headed back to the dorms. Coming back, he collapsed into his bed but didn't immediately go to sleep.

"So at what time did you want me on monday?" I asked, waking him up from his half asleep self. He stirred and moaned, then answered.

"Make it an hour before class and I'll give you points for the lost weekend," he answered, mumbling a little.

"Aight," I answered aloofly. I rested my cheek in my palm over his desk, then ended up falling asleep like that. Surprisingly, I woke up in his bed, Nathan nowhere in sight. I left before he came back. I left early to my mom's house, getting back the keys borrowed by the beta- Warren.

My eyes open to have the sunlight catching my eyes. I sit up straight immediately. My parents aren't in their bed, or I assume they aren't. My eyes are swollen from my crying the night before. I get up and clean myself up the best I could. We arrived late last night but we didn't take much but our toiletries. After I finish up I head downstairs where the helper is asking breakfast, one of the other patients helping out. My dad sits on the table, already gulping down a cup of orange juice. He was the one where I got my sweet tooth from. I greet him in a formal way, unable to help it after yesterday. My mom sets a plate for me and I sit across from him. We eat and head out for a morning jog by the patients here. I keep a steady pace with my mom and dad, she's not as strong as I am.

"You're quite the runner Ms. Matilda. Are you perhaps in track and field or cross country?" he asks, me. I swallow the lump in my throat before answering.

"I used to be, in Middle School." I answer with a blank face before glancing at my mom and running ahead of them. I don't know where I'm running, just faraway. That's a good start. I keep the idea of running all the way back to Arcadia in the back of my mind. _By the time I get there, it'll already be morning,_ I laugh a little and slow my pace as my legs start to give in. I decide to wait inside for everyone else, spending the rest of my time on my phone texting Jo. He doesn't text back much and it's up to me to keep a conversation going. He probably wants to be left alone with his new girlfriend. After a while after, I give up on Jo and play a game of jigsaw with the other patients. Including my dad. Thankfully he isn't insensitive enough to make some comment of a daughter he no longer has.

The day comes to it's end and my mom and I head back to Arcadia Bay. I don't wanna say I love the city, but it's always much easier to return to the nowhere coastal town than to leave it. This time around, my mom doesn't argue in letting me drive the whole way back.

While my mom goes to look over her agenda for the week, I take some time before bedtime to look through my finished homework, fixing any mistakes I might've made. I fall asleep, almost immediatey after finishing.


	5. Caught My Eye

Monday rolled in, I was in no hurry to head back. As promised, I arrived at his dorm room an hour before class started. To my surprise, there was no immediate answer when I knocked on the door.

"Yo! Nathan, if you don't answer the door I'm gonna head to class by myself." Suddenly, as I turn to look at the hallway, Nathan, half-naked, stands in front of me.

"Calm your tits, I'm here," he walks past me and opens the door. Out of force of habit, my eyes trace along his back. I realize how small his shoulders are, of course, still bigger than mine.

"Shit," he says, I zip my eyes away, hoping he hadn't noticed my leering, "I forgot my stuff, I'll be right back, just get my stuff together for me, will ya." Before I can answer, he's already out the door and down the hall. I grab what I assume he uses as a backpack - pretty cheap for a rich kid- and stuffed it with the papers I had done for him. I can't help but notice his homework left on his desk. Out of bad habit, I notice smudges of something having been erased. I look over the questions and find that the new ones are the different answers. I try to think back and remember what answers I put, only able to remember a few. But it's enough to remember that I had given different ones from the new ones. I know it's Nathan's writing since I had to take a few hours to mimic his handwriting. What is this kid up to? I hear someone out in the hall walk past and put everything back in its place. I'll worry about it later. Nathan walks in, pulling his shirt down. I then notice the bags under his eyes. He holds out his hands for his backpack and I comply. We head out together to the school. He surprises me again by walking me all the way to my class.

"You're acting different," I pry, he scoffs and leans against the lockers.

"What is it, babe? I thought you'd liked to have me walk you." _Like a dog_ , I thought to myself. He leaned in closer, I looked away, my cheeks burning.

"See you at lunchtime, babe," he whispers, just in time for… Jefferson!- of all people in the entire school, it had to be Jefferson to see me.

"Mr. Prescott, Ms. Thorne," he cleared his throat. I couldn't see Nathan's face too well, but I could still notice a smirk on him.

"Later, Mr. J," he spoke with a shallow enthusiasm and stalked off. I rubbed my forehead with my knuckles. I could already hear what Jefferson was gonna say.

"I had no idea you… enjoyed the company of Mr. Prescott," his words lingered as he stared at the direction Nathan had gone towards. I was still perplexed, however. This was an odd reaction. I blew my hair out of my face and answered.

"We only just got together, so…" I attempted to lighten the mood, I wasn't comfortable with his reactions, "it's ok if you don't know all the rumors in the school." He roared with laughter, I smiled awkwardly. Everyone was staring at the student and teacher being so friendly. With the Nathan rumors still fresh in people's minds, there was no doubt this was gonna be something people will just eat up.

"But," he cleared his throat again, "in all seriousness, be careful around him. I hate to enforce the 'status quo' (he curled his index and middle fingers in the air), but, he is from a different... Circumstance, than you." I squinted my eyes and rolled my eyes discretely.

"I'll… keep that in mind," I answered in confusion, he patted my shoulder and headed off.

Later in the day, I found Warren and handed him my keys to use for Jo.

"You remember your job?" He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes ma'am," he spoke with sarcasm, but before I could scold him for it, Nathan passed by and led me by the shoulders to the courtyard.

"Since when are you so friendly with the beta-nerd?" he asked, letting me go and reaching into his pocket, drawing a cigarette to his lips.

"Since he spread that rumor about us," I scowled at him, thinking he'd actually notice.

"What? Begging him to take those rumors back?" he got closer to me, laying his arm on my shoulder, "already intimidated about dating me?" I shoved his arm off me, his stupid ass laugh echoing in the courtyard.

"No," I affirmed, "it's payback for the shit he started. Dating is the least of my problems." He breathed out his smoke and handed it out to me, a smirk on his mug. I took it begrudgingly, I noticed then, the people staring. I took a seat at a table, Nathan mimicked my movements and sat across from me. After a few puffs, I handed the fag back to him.

"I want to say I'm surprised teachers aren't approaching us," I glanced back to him, "but then again…"

"What're they gonna do? Give me detention?" he answered, a big grin on his face. Suddenly, the memory of the corrected homework came into mind again. I was tempted to ask him about it, but the matter of bringing it up proved to be my folly. Instead, I just asked about his schedule for me today.

It was still haunting me at the end of the week, and at the end of our agreement. It's weird, just when I was getting used to our routine, things were coming to an end. The day went as planned for the last time. I got my things and headed for Nathan's room. At the boy's dorm, Nathan stood outside his room, an unlit fag in his mouth.

"What's up?" I could feel myself skip over to him, "we going out with a bang?" He smirked and held out a pair of keys.

"No," I automatically took the keys, "I'm giving you these." I stared at them, they weren't for a car, more for like a place.

"What're these for?" I asked, holding them out as if they were infected. He opened his room and walked in, slamming into his bed.

"Some 'friends' of yours asked for some greenery, but they didn't want to pay full price and asked to for a discount," his smug face gave away the answer. I clutched the keys in my hand and hung my head. Sluggishly making my way to the other side of the room. Slamming my body on the chair.

"You gotta be kidding me." I looked over at him, a smirk on his face.

"'Isn't there a girlfriend's friends discount?'" he mimicked. I groaned, which seemed to amuse him as he began to laugh loudly.

"When I find those idiots, I swear-"

"You sound like this is a bad thing," he spoke nonchalantly, pretending to be hurt. I was about to retort but caught myself before I said anything that would offend him. The last thing I need is a grumpy Nathan to control me. Instead, I bit my lip and crossed my arms. He chuckles and brings out one of his binders.

"Is that the next assignment?" I asked, he smiled and shook his head, "Then what is it?" He continued to shake his head.

"I'm trying to decide what photo to enter for that contest.

"Really, dude?- don't be like me and turn it in early, we all still got a month," I said, leaning my head back on the chair. He sighed and slammed it shut. Then he rolled over to one side and spoke in a low voice.

"I'm gonna get some shut-eye, you do whatever you want." I nodded and hummed.

Somehow, I ended up asleep too. Only to wake up from the thrashing of Nathan. He was mumbling something incoherent, but it sounded like he was struggling.

"Yo, Nathan," I whispered, trying not to scare him awake. I tapped his shoulder, which only led to him freaking out more. He jumped up out of his bed, knocking me back. Luckily, I was able to catch myself before hitting the floor.

"What the fuck?!" I shouted. Nathan was breathing heavily, swirling his head around and reaching for one of his drawers. With a shaky hand, he brought out a bottle and spilled a few pills into his hand. He gulped them down in one go then collapsed back onto his bed. I snapped my fingers in front of his face before reaching for the pill bottle. I snagged my coat and rushed out of the room, reaching for my phone. It took a couple of rings before Jo picked up his phone.

"Hello?" His words were slurred with a rasp to his voice. He must've been asleep. I felt bad.

"Can you meet me at the Two Whales? It's an emergency." He was suddenly more awake when he replied.

"I don't know, I'm with my girlfriend." Now I really felt bad. I sighed before giving him a suggestion.

"Just… bring her along, too." He chuckled on the other line before agreeing.

I was first to arrive at the restaurant, taking a seat next to the window on the side of the parking lot. It was about 20 minutes when Jo and his girlfriend arrived by bus. His mom must've still been at work. I knocked on the window, getting their attention. The girlfriend looked a little displeased. Jo's arm around her was probably the only thing keeping her from really mugging me. They entered and took the seat across from me, his arm still holding onto her.

"So what's up?" He said, I glanced at his girlfriend, then back at him. I reached into my pocket and brought out a 20.

"Why don't you get us a couple-a drinks, hon?" I said, handing her the bill. She hesitated at first, turning to Jo to see if he approved. He nodded his head and indicated for her to take the money. She sighed and got up, heading towards the booths.

"I have a favor to ask," I said while reaching into my pocket. He sighed heavily, eyeing his girlfriend before leaning in to whisper.

"Look, whatever it is-" he was cut off as I brought out the bottle. His eyes grew in size, then twisted his face in anger.

"When in the fuck did you ever get the idea to abuse prescription drugs?!" He whispered. I rolled my eyes, pushing the bottle closer to him

"This is nothing like that," I leaned back in my seat, letting out the breath I'd been holding, "the rich kid is taking these for night terrors- I think- but I know these aren't the right pills for it." I looked at Jo, his face had gone gentle, a little more sympathetic until he opened his mouth.

"Since when did you care for the Prescott brat?" I let a little laughter out, resting my head on my right hand.

"Dude, I dunno. But I'm gonna be stuck with him for a while longer so I might as well make the living conditions hospitable." He finally held onto the pill and snuck it into his coat pocket.

"I'll see if my mom can find out more."

"Find out about what?" His girlfriend was standing over us. A drink in both hands and another tucked into her armpit.

"I'll tell you later, babe." He replied. I

"Not everything, I hope," I spoke through my teeth, a forced smile to get my point across. He glared back. I stood up and took the drink from one of her hands.

"You guys can enjoy a little date; on me." I winked at the girl and left. It took me a half hour to walk back, mostly because of my aimless wandering. When I finally did get the guts to get back to school, Nathan sat on one of the benches outside the dorms. I kept my gaze down as I approached him, I didn't have to look up to see his harsh focus on me.

"I didn't think you'd notice I was gone," I clicked his tongue, then made a movement to the pavement.

"Where're my pills, Thorne?" I finally locked his gaze. His eyes looked swollen a little, his jaw was tense as if trying to hold himself back. My hand attempt to get closer to his shoulder but backed down as soon as he glanced at it.

"I'm sorry," I couldn't speak right, I wondered why I was so worried. What was the worst he could do? Then I decided to take a different approach and sat down on the bench.

"Those pills weren't made for you, so I thought I'd dispose of them," I spoke with a casual tone, see if he could calm down a little with that. He followed my lead and sat down next to me.

"What makes you think I'm not 'abusing' prescription drugs?" He got into a playful mood, his jaw was still tense and his voice strained, but his eyes said otherwise. I don't know what came over me but I went along with it.

"Then I'd have to scold you properly for that." He held my shoulder and shoved me back. He was much calmer at least. He rubbed his forehead, staring at the ground, his playful smile disappeared.

"Go back to your dorm," he affirmed, "I'll see you in the morning." I hesitated to get up, but wanting to avoid what he might do if he was really angry, I decided to do as he asked. Just before entering the door, I turned back around and handed him a small container.

"They're muscle relaxers, they'll help out better than those pills," I kept my hand held out until he caved and snatched them from me. I gave him a half smile then walked off.

Thoughts of Nathan kept me up all night. Morning came but I didn't get up until my radio turned on. I sighed heavily, rubbing my face to remove the sleepiness. I quickly moved to grab my shower things and headed out the door. I came out of the shower room to find girls glancing at my halfway opened room with suspicion. I hurried over, hoping that it wasn't a surprise inspection. The sigh of relief I let out could not have been enough to release every worry that was inside of me. I looked onwards into my room to Nathan and Victoria, standing and sitting on my bed, respectively.

"The hell's wrong with you guys," I breathed out and dropped my old clothes in my closet.

"Waiting for you, duh," Victoria jumped off my tall bed, grabbing her things off the floor. I mirrored her gestures with my own things and followed them out. Stepping out the door felt like the complete opposite of feeling like a celebrity. As soon as we marched out, the floor went silent. Victoria gave the others a spiteful smirk before raising her posture in a posh manner. They seemed to have planned this since Nathan stiffly placed his arm over my shoulder. As soon as we were out the door, I shoved Nathan's arm off me and faced the two troublemakers.

"Okay, what's going on?" I demanded. Victoria sighed, as if she was pitiful, and dropped her weight onto the ground.

"Those goddamn stupid girls!" she glared up at me, "This is your own fault you know, it's not my fault the two of you decided not to be touchy-feely. What the hell am I supposed to do…" she began to mumble incoherently, which is when I turned to Nathan and he began to explain.

"Vic's being a baby about having to handle people's questions." He said in an annoyed tone. She shot back daggers, her lips pursed as if she was about to sob. I sighed heavily.

"You weren't there when all those damn girls fuckin' jumped me," she argued, standing up. I held her shoulder, keeping a fight from happening.

"A'right, a'right I believe you." I exhaled in desperation, "So, how about this," I took a step away from both of them, "we don't do surprise stunts like that anymore and act like an actual couple, right?" They both hesitated, but after a glance at each other, they seemed convinced. I held out my hand, which Nathan surprisingly took with ease, and the three of us continued to the school.

"Okay, lovebirds, say your goodbyes," Victoria jeered, then turned to Nathan, "I'll see you in class." As she walked off, the idle scans became alarmingly obvious.

"Just pretend they aren't there," he whispered, inching closer.

"It's kinda hard when they're looking you straight in the eyes," I retorted through my teeth then bucking at one of the students that had been staring for a little too long.

"Who knew you had such a dedicated fan club," I forced a smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. He scoffed then retorted.

"More like a haters club," despite his low-key deprecation, he laughed at his joke. I tried to pull back from making my face so serious.

"Oh don't take it to heart," he placed his hands on my hips, then gently pushed back, "I'm feeling like going on a date the evening, so you better get yourself ready for that." I rolled my eyes but nodded in cooperation. Despite how affectionate we had seemed, we didn't give the onlookers a show of p.d.a and ended things as quickly as they started. That isn't to say I wasn't excited for the evening to come.

* * *

 **I feel like this is a little shorter than normal but at the same time, I'm not sure ...**


	6. As Far As I Can See (Full Chapter)

After school was finished, I rushed to my dorm and grabbed my shower stuff and rushed to the showers. In all that rush I forgot to grab what I would change into. I spent a good 30 minutes before deciding on a v-neck gingham print dress and chunky sandals. Once I started changing, Nathan texted me.

 _Hurry up thorne! We dont got all nite! D:_

I snorted at the emoji, sending him a reply to calm him down. After adding makeup I headed out. Kate caught me in the hallway to compliment me and pry about my outfit.

"You look so pretty Maddie, you must be having something special in order for you to look so fabulous," her smile indicated that she already knew what I was up to. I can't lie to her, and my cheeks flared into a blush.

"You must've seen what happened this morning..?" She gasped with a beaming smile, clinging to my arm.

"I'm so happy for you!" she squealed, "-well, for you both. Nathan really needs someone. I mean!- Victoria and him _have_ been best friends since as far as I can remember… but he so needs someone like you to take care of him for once." I couldn't help my eyebrow lifting up but I still nodded. I could already imagine the image she has of Nathan, she's too sweet for this world.

"Thank you." I meant it.

After finishing up with Kate, I continued down the hall to the stairwell. Before I could reach the stairs, a girls voice called my name. I froze, getting goosebumps. _What if it's those same girls that jumped Victoria?_ My heart begins to beat fast as the footsteps get closer until a hand taps my shoulder.

"You're Maddison Thorne right?" the girl asked. I slowly turn, taking in the scene. I find a petite girl, her eyebrows were furrowed, her hair along chestnut color just gettin' back to its normal color after being dyed red.

"Actually it's Matilda," I answer, her eyes go wide for a second before getting serious again.

"Right, sorry. Can't really trust all the rumors," her hands were fisted into a ball, shaking for some reason. I reach for it and lead her outside. She cries out a "Hey!" in her surprise but I ignored it. We're outside where we can talk peacefully as there are not that many students around.

"Is this a calmer environment?" I ask. She nods carefully.

"Look I just wanted to warn you about Nathan,"

"Honey, if you're gonna tell me about how he's a huge bully with a lot of money and power, save it. I know what I'm getting myself into." I crossed my arms, she didn't hesitate to respond.

"That's not it. I'm not warning you about what he has, but what he can do," she carefully rubbed her abdomen carefully.

"He hurt you?" I said gesturing to her hand.

"It was almost three years ago… but it still hurts to remember." she sounded like she was about to cry. I patted her shoulder.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No I have to!" her face became serious again, "you have to stay away from him, he'll hurt you, please, just-"

"Okay okay," I said, trying to calm her down, "Well, it's too late now since we're dating, but I'll at least try to keep him from snapping, a'right?" She bit her lip, her face still filled with worry.

"Please, don't forget what I told you," she walked back to the parking lot. I sighed and entered back into the dorms. Immediately after entering the hallway, I saw Nathan on his phone. He looked pissed.

"Yo, Nathan," I waved my hand, he ignored me at first, later acknowledging my existence with a slight nod. I walked over to him, feeling his anger in the air. He opened his door before putting the person on the other line on hold. He took out a wad of cash he had been holding onto in his hand and held it out to me. I took it in confusion. I opened my mouth to speak but by then he already had his phone out again, making his next call. He entered his room and left me dazed in the hall. I spent an hour outside of the dorms, dreamily wondering what he was doing before I headed to the parking lot. I called Warren as I got to my car.

"You busy?"  
"Yeah," he said in a slurred voice. He must've been asleep.

"Well, now you are. Come over to my car," I jiggled the car handle as if moving it around would actually unlock it and not blast the alarm. He didn't respond and hung up. After a couple of minutes, I saw him at the entrance point of the parking lot. He looked like he had hurried out to meet me. I admit I was a little amused by that.

"Here," he handed out his hand with my car keys.

"Great!-" I walked over to the passenger side, "let's go to the Diner." He stood frozen at the end of the car. I shimmied my shoulders as I waited for him. After a while, he finally unlocked the car and headed to the driver's seat.

"Is this more of the punishment?" he asked with a deadpan expression.

"Now you're getting it."

The diner sat quietly with the sunset sluggishly marching down.

"Am I also gonna pay?" he asked, still with that deadpan expression. I patted him on the shoulder, opening the door.

"Don't worry, I was stood up so I'm gonna treat you to a meal for comforting me." Once inside the Diner, we took a booth facing the sunset. I forced Warren to sit next to me, he hesitantly did so but I already knew he wasn't gonna take any bait. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Who stood you up?" he didn't sound confident in his question.

"Who else is there to stand me up?" I retorted. He stayed silent, probably trying to choose his words wisely.

"I thought maybe that other guy you make me pick up." I couldn't hold in the laughter.

"Ah, Warren. You are so innocent."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Depends on the people that see your innocence," I turned to face him, probably looking serious and I tried to seem gentle, "Jo's just my friend… Well," I folded my hands and rested my chin on top, "We're technically an ex-couple. But we only went on a couple of dates and some nights together." I glanced over and gently elbow him, "sex." His face flushed red as his eyes looked away. Once again, I couldn't hold my laughter in. After the waitress came to take our orders, I changed the topic to something less embarrassing. Once we were done, we left to the beach and watch the sunset.

"Is this how I'm supposed to comfort you?" he asked after a while. I tried to smile at him but he still looked wary.

"You've done well so far," I smoothed my arms, trying to create friction to warm up. After some more time, I rested on the sand just a few paces away from the ocean. He came up next to me but didn't sit down.

"What about Nathan?" he asked, I couldn't help but scoff.

"What about him?" I answered shaking my head.

"Maddie?!" a voice cried out. I turned around to face Victoria who had quite the twisted face. I waved her over. She stomped over, mostly glaring at Warren.

"Whatcha up to?" I asked she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"That's what I should be asking you," she glanced over to Warren, then back at me.

"Oh relax," I stood up and patted the dirt off my ass, "He's just keeping me company since my boyfriend is busy enough to stand me up." I could feel my heart sink. She seemed to feel sympathy towards me and gave a worried expression.

"He's just really busy with the Vortex club parties. He has to plan everything by himself and get a couple of 'favors', you know, as club president."

"Aren't you the VP?" Warren asked. Both Victoria and I looked over, he backed up. Victoria rolled her eyes then looked back at me.

"Who do you think has to gather everything he orders?" she said, I'm guessing more towards Warren, "but that's beside the point, I'm sure when the parties are over, he'll give you his f- half his attention." I laughed at the odd phrase. I put my arm around Warren's, she frowned at it. I still gave her a big smile and walked back to my car. We drove back in silence, which I was happy about. I didn't want to think about anything, especially Nathan. He was just becoming too much to keep up with. Pretending to be "madly in love". I scoffed. _What a joke._

When we got to the school, Warren handed my keys over. I pushed them back towards him.

"I want you to take care of my car." he threw his head back and grunted.

"Still punishment," he groaned. I crossed my arms.

"You did do a lot of damage you loose-lipped little punk. Even Victoria was affected." He hunched his shoulders.

"Until when?" he asked sighing. I patted his head and headed towards the dorms.

"Until I say so!" I called back, waving.

The next morning was a bother to get through. Nathan still met up with me in the morning and walked me to my class. We didn't have lunch together and gym class was each class left to their own devices. So we didn't really talk much during the day. When we finally did, it was already after school. Nathan was looking busily at his phone. Typing and scrolling and his eyes darting about the screen. I reached into my purse and handed back the leftover wad of cash.

"What's this?" he asked, not looking up from his phone. I rolled my eyes.

"You're so rich you don't even recognize your own money?" I laughed. He lifted an eyebrow, still unmoved.

"You know, the money you gave me to 'make up' for you standing me up."

"Why're you giving it back?" he asked. I pondered the question for a while, then came up with a good answer.

"Makes me feel cheap." I shrugged like I was still unsure of that answer. He gave a small smile and took the money back and put it, along with his phone, in his pocket. Then he put his arm around my shoulder and we continued in peace.

"I'll really make it up to you at the end of the week. I can promise you that for sure." I rolled my eyes.

"What about the Vortex Club?"

"Everything I need will be ready by the end of the week, trust me." I couldn't help the smile. I lifted my head up and gazed at him.

"Then it's a deal. We'll have another date at the end of the week."

"Ms. Thorne, may I speak with you for a moment?" Jefferson asked as I was heading out the door. He wasn't being coy about it either. All the other kids in here stared at me for a second before continuing on with their business. I stepped aside and waited 'til everyone was gone to approach Jefferson's desk.

"What's up?" I asked. He sat down and put away one of his binders.

"As you know, the month is about to come to its end. And in another week will come the results of the heroes contest," he drawled on a little more before finally coming to what I assume was the point of the conversation, "because you turned in your photo early, I think it would be best for you to continue with extra credit assignments in place of that project," he looked at me with a gentle smile. I took a moment to piece together what he was telling me.

"Ok, so what exactly did you have in mind for extra credit?" I decided to take the bait and see where it led me. Of course, I wasn't gonna do the extra credit though.

"Just simple things. Like staying after school with me. Maybe even taking a sort of field trip with a few others that have already turned in their photos." I stared at him for a few moments, seemingly thinking it over. Then he stood up, circling around me. He leaned on his desk, his arm just inches from mine.

"Its okay if you don't have an answer now," he placed his hand on my shoulder. Giving it a light squeeze. I threw my shoulder back giving him a focused glare. He put his hands up in defeat.

"I'll give you one now. No." He gave a surprised look but quickly went back to his aloof expression.

"May I know why?"

"How about the fact that I was placed into this class, even though I had already taken the class 2 years ago, so the school could parasite off you and gain some publicity. As if you didn't know that this class is being used as an extra credit class." His expression didn't change but I could tell I was getting to him. With nothing else to say I left the room. Later in the day, I walked back to the dorms with Nathan and Victoria. We all headed to Nathan's room, I had to tutor both of them in an assignment. After that, Victoria left to hang out with her friends, and Nathan and I stayed behind to watch a movie.

"I'm surprised you aren't too busy to be here right now." I teased. He shushed me. He was really into the film. "Trainspotting".

"I have to go see my parents tomorrow. So I'll be gone the whole day," he whispered, I rested my chin on my knuckles.

"Too bad you won't get to see Jefferson's face after what I told him today," I snickered.

"What?"

"Ah," I sighed in glee, "the photocopier wanted me to do extra credit after school, and I told him his class was already my extra credit. Ooh, the look on his face," I turned to see a different expression on his face than what I had imagined.

"So what?" his eyebrow was raised, his exterior was like a man looking down at a bug it had just crushed.

"Nothing," I spoke in a small voice. I hated myself for that.

"Were you hoping I hated Jefferson as much as you?" he scoffed, "were you expecting me to praise you?"

"Yeah right," I brushed it off, or at least tried, "I was just telling you something that I thought was interesting."

"Hope you realize I don't care if you spend your precious little time with Jefferson. It's all the same to me."

"As if I'd want to do that. It's bad enough I was shoved into the class because the school wanted to milk every last drop of publicity they could get out of Jefferson, now the narcissist wants me to do 'extra credit'," I raised and folded my fingers, "What a creep." I shivered and rubbed my arms.

"You hate school that much," he was finally focusing on me, "and here I thought it was all you thought about."

"Ha! All I can ever really think about is how I'm gonna pay for school." I leaned back on the headboard and nudged him with my elbow, "What about Mr. Prescott, does he have something in that demented little mind of his?"

"Photography," he didn't stutter, didn't falter. Never really thought he was into that. With his low tolerance in- actually, with all the bullshit he pulls himself, I can believe he would love something like Mark Jefferson. _Not to mention their similar levels of narcissism._

"What a tortured artist," I said, though I don't think he heard since he didn't respond.

 _Nathan was sitting in front of me. He only had shorts on sitting on the floor. He had a sad look about him as he turned to face me._

" _I've spilled the juice," he said in a small voice. I walked over to him and held him to my chest._

" _Don't rely on them. You'll only need me." I said. He smiled with his cheeks turning pink. He suddenly gripped the back of my shirt, pulling me in more. I was being absorbed by him. Despite my heartbeat speeding up, I didn't want to let go. I had no strength. I was falling into him._

" _Don't rely on them. You'll only need me," he repeated._

 _I was at my table. Victoria on my left, Jo to my right and Nathan across from me. He was spinning a red crayon on a coloring book. He was so focused. I tried to look at what he was coloring but it only became blurry and hurt my eyes as I tried to focus on the picture he was coloring._

" _Nathan you'll ruin the color," I cried as tears started to well up._

" _He's too busy with the vortex to care about the color. He has to focus." Victoria replied. She had a blue, sad color drawing a man's beard. I looked over to Jo with his bright orange color drawing a beach. It didn't look like a beach but something told me that's what it's meant to be._

" _I'll try to figure it out for you," he said in reply to my staring. He barely glanced up from his work. Finally, I looked down to my paper. There was green sprawled all around with flowers, spirals, and scribbles. I think the words were meant to bring a message together. I suddenly grabbed it and held it out to Mr. Jefferson._

" _Amazing job !" he held my back and my skin crawled, "Since you finished so early, why don't you come with me to complete some extra credit." His eyes were closed and I was scared to see them when they opened._

 _Nathan was sitting in front of me. He only had shorts on sitting on the floor. He had a sad look about him as he turned to face me._

" _Don't leave me," he began to cry._

" _Don't rely on them. You'll only need me." I said. He smiled with his cheeks turning pink._

Morning came as the light of the day hit my face. I was on Nathan's bed, he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly the door opened and in came Victoria. For a moment I gasped out, hard enough that it choked me for a second.

"Jesus, relax it's just me," she must've gotten scared from my hard exhale. She tossed an outfit in my direction, they were my clothes.

"Where's Nathan?" I finally asked after catching my breath.

"He left early this morning," she closed the door behind her and spoke in a quiet voice, "Now hurry up before the teachers catch us."

"Wow, _the_ Victoria Chase is scared of being caught by the teachers." I teased, she shook her head with a smirk. Nevertheless, we sneaked out of the boy's dorms.

The day went about, the eyes were still all over me but at least they didn't have the balls to come up to me. Nathan wasn't back yet at the end of the day, so Victoria and I decided to head out together on the town.

"What kinda parties are they?" I asked Victoria who was trying out a couple of dresses for the Vortex club party.

"Oh you know, just like any other club," she was adjusting the folds forming around her waist, "well, sometimes we have themed parties, but those are usually for special occasions." She spun around with a glamorous smile. I rubbed my chin.

"It's a little gaudy for a simple party?"

"Guess your right," she looked back at the mirror, "I think I'll still buy it." _Forgive my eye roll_ , I thought to myself. I stood up with the outfit I was deciding on. Not for the party, just to have something new. A red see-through shirt, a black miniskirt, a black bralette and a pair of maroon colored heels.

"Are you sure that's all you want?"

"Unlike you Victoria, I don't have the privilege of my family's money." She had offered to buy me an outfit or 2 but with my big ego, I didn't want her to buy me anything.

"Last time I do charity work," she replied. I stopped and let out a short laugh, shaking my head.

Night came and I still hadn't heard from Nathan. I only hope he doesn't cancel again. _Why?_

"Because Victoria can't fight a hundred fangirls at once."

 _You sound like you'd be disappointed for being stood up again._

"Well, who wouldn't? It's a great insult to their pride." I sighed and let myself float to the depths of my dreams. Hoping I wasn't gonna have that same weird dream from last night.

Friday- and the date- came upon us. I made sure not to repeat my mistake from last time and dressed less excessive. I put on a pair of skinny jeans, the new bralette and a soft sweater on top. Knee-high boots to put the outfit together. Five minutes before the hour, I grabbed my purse and headed to his dorm. No Katie to stall with and no weird girl to get in my way. Just before entering the boy's floor, he texts me that he's waiting outside. At the parking lot, there are other students heading out, too. I find my way to where he's parked and we head out.

"Downgraded much?" He said. We'd been quiet for most of the ride, so it was weird that he was speaking now.

"It's insurance," I glanced at him, he didn't look away from the road.

"Coulda just changed after that," he retorted.

"It was a hassle to get in and it would've been a hassle to get out." I rested my head on the window. The bumps in the road made it hard to drift to sleep. We were arriving at the location anyways. It was the parking lot to the beach; instead of leading me down, he led me upwards. I took one look at the trail and was relieved I'd chosen flat shoes.

At the top, we took a rest at the bench near the edge. I took a peek at the bottom. First, my mind went to Jo and how he would've loved to jump off this cliff. Then it immediately switched to my stomach that was now taking refuge at my hips.

"If you don't like it, don't go near it dumbass!" Nathan ordered. I did as he _suggested_ and backed away and took a seat next to him.

"What a date," I commented, he didn't respond and leaned back into the bench. The view was pretty nice at least. Though the company could be better.

"I bet if you took a photo of this scene, Jefferson would orgasm by just looking at it." I joked. I guess Nathan took it seriously and stood up and took a picture. I couldn't help the surprised face.

"You realize I was joking right."

"I know, but I also know he would cream his pants at this picture," He joked while putting away his phone. _Guess he doesn't like Jefferson as much as I thought he did._

"As breathtaking as this view is, is there anything else on the agenda?" I asked before the sun was starting to set.

"Yeah there's more, I'm not completely despicable-" Suddenly his phone rang. He ignored it but then it started up again. He took a glance at it, froze, then hung up, but he didn't put his phone away. He continued to text something, then stood up and headed down the slope. I stood up to follow but was stopped as he turned to face me.

"I'm gonna have to take a raincheck." It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. What about all he said the other day about being done with the preparations for the party?

"Well, can you at least take me back to the school? Or…" I paused, there was no way he was gonna give me a ride back home, let alone to the school. He seemed to guess I got his unspoken message and left. I returned to the bench, my throat feeling tight, my eyes burning.

 _This is officially the worst date I've ever been to._

The trick to using a fake I.D is really owning it. Don't try to alter your appearance in the photo, since it'll make you more suspicious. And always remember to have your story straight. Don't go for the ol' "I go to 'such-n-such' school". Say you're from outta town or traveling states. Do not, under any circumstances, go back to the same liquor store. It'll become too complicated to explain what you're doing back so soon.

On that note, I went to the liquor store just off the highway. Yes, I had to walk, _thanks to my designated driver._ The least he was able to do was leave me with some cash, again. The store clerk must've noticed my pissed mood and decided not to question it.

The park at this hour was crowded by teens and bums. One could hardly differentiate between them. My feet were tired from the long walk and staggering steps, but I didn't want to rest with so many sneaky bastards around. I headed to the top of the overlook, it was more work but at least it was further from everyone. The beer was gross but it washed out my anger.

I was sitting on the curb of the sidewalks paved on the original dirt trail. The people that did walk by avoided eye contact. Then suddenly, these two people came up to me.

"You look pathetic," one said, she sounded familiar, "makes me not want to go into next year."

"Glad I already got out of there." It was a different voice. I decided to look up, it took a moment, but I was able to distinguish between Rachel and her friend.

"Kids shouldn't be out this late," I spouted.

"It's barely eight o'clock!" The other one yelled out. I attempted to stand, hard to keep my balance.

"That usually means kids are up to no good,"

Would you quit calling us kids?" Rachel asked.

"Anyone younger than me is a kid," I responded.

"Like your little prince boyfriend?" The other retorted. It pissed me off.

"What could you possibly know about my relationship with him?" _No more than me._ The girl glared at me for a while, then glanced at Rachel who was making a weird face.

"Whatever let's go Rache, she's drunk out of her ass." With that, I turned to face the edge of the cliff. It wasn't steep but nonetheless, looking down from it was making me dizzy. I suddenly felt a hand grasp my wrist and pulled me back. The sudden shift of gravity made me topple over whoever pulled me back. "See, she can't even stand up straight, Chloe." Or maybe I hadn't toppled on top of them, more like slammed against them but not fall. The same hands held on to me until I reassured that I had regained my balance.

"Wonder if he would've sued us for killing his girlfriend," _Doubt it._

"How about this, we'll take you with us to the concert," Rachel suggested so very happily.

"Ah, Rache!" The other one, I think her name was Chloe, cried.

"What concert?"

"Bet she doesn't even know who Chelsea Wolfe is!" she continued.

"I know her." I said almost really quietly, "I'm not that old." I explained after noticing their surprised reactions. Rachel looked to Chloe, who was still stunned and pulled on both our arms.

"Then let's go!" she cheered. Chloe was not happy, I guess Rachel was the leader of this duo.

A cab ride later, we arrived at the club where she was performing, from outside I could already hear the instruments- probably warming up- and the crowd cheering. There were people outside taking in tickets.

"You guys got tickets?" I asked. They both froze up. I rubbed the space between my brows. Then took out a $50. They were dazzled by the large amount. _Guess he can come in handy sometimes._ I approached one of the people and I'm sure she saw the face of disappointment.

"Let me guess, didn't get one on time," she said. She was multitasking, looking at me and still taking in tickets.

"More like my friends dragged me out here without any plans ahead." She exhaled and pouted, I guess thinking. She eyed the wad of cash. I smirked and fanned a few bills. She turned away, whispered something to her coworker and led us around the building. I lowered my voice and spoke to the girls.

"Let me do the talking." Rachel nodded in glee while Chloe rolled her eyes. Finally, the lady turned to face us with a stern expression.

"Let's get one thing out of the way first, I don't know you and you only handed your _tickets_ to me," she held out her hand and waved her fingers, "second," after handing her the money, she gave us wristbands, "you didn't get these from me, you bought them yourselves online. And of course, you walked in with a larger crowd that the security didn't catch a single detail about you guys." She looked us over and walked back first. I extended my hand in front of the girls. Keeping them from going.

"We're gonna miss her!" Chloe exclaimed. I shushed her.

"This the first concert you've crashed?" I asked, then continued to the front. We saw the same girl again and went in with a large group.

House of Metal was already starting up as we entered. It was so soft and comforting. Chelsea was still looking fresh. Made sense, the concert had just started less than half an hour ago. Someone must've been handing out some drug in the air since for the rest of the night it all became fuzzy. As I swung to the beat of the music, it felt like I could feel everything around me. I don't know when I lost the girls since I didn't see them when the concert ended. Somehow, we met up outside and left, continuing the tiresome walk back.

When I awoke again, I was in somebody else's bed. I sat up, which was difficult to do without falling off the bed. My head was aching and my eyes burned from the sunlight coming through.

"Who's house is this?" I said in a muffled voice. My throat was dry as all hell, it was difficult to swallow.

"Present," Chloe said from the other side of the bed. I then realized how we'd positioned ourselves. Chloe and Rachel were on the top side of the bed, separated by my feet. _Maybe the headache is from sleeping upside down._

"Where's my stuff?" I also realized I was half naked. I scooted backward to pull my feet from underneath the covers.

"Just borrow some of mine," Chloe said, "I think Rachel has some stuff in there, too." Her hand lazily pointed to the closet. I got up and surveyed their heights and proportions. Chloe was almost my height but more like she was stretched in all other parts with rounded hips. Rachel was close to my proportions but smaller. No way.

"I don't think your guy's clothes'll fit," I decided, then stretched as I grabbed my clothes.

"What about some free breakfast?" Rachel was up now, her makeup smeared underneath her eyes.

"Sounds nice, but I gotta get home," I pulled my pants on and my sweater overhead.

"Thanks for staying at Hotel Casa de la Chloe," she said, crashing back into bed and reaching for a cigarette. Scratch that, it was a blunt. After grabbing the rest of my things, I headed out. I didn't know the neighborhood well enough, either way, I decided to head towards a bus stop. At least it was Saturday.


	7. The Weekend Without Him

The final week to enter into the "Everyday Heroes" contest was upon everyone, including myself. Jefferson had apparently received two other photographs similar to mine, and because he'd already chosen his favorite out of the three of us, he was making me and the other poor bastard retake it. Of course, I wasn't too thrilled, to say the least. Plus, being Nathan's little go-for wasn't going to let me retake a photo. I thought about asking him that night to figure out if he needed a photo as well.

He didn't look dressed to go out. Instead, he wore some old track pants with a gray shirt that had holes around the neckline. This doesn't surprise me as much as it did the first time. That night when he showed up in the hallway of the girls' dorms in such a crude attire.

"There's no homework," he threw himself on the bed, grabbed a remote and returned to whatever he was watching. "Revenge of the Creature from the Black Lagoon". I took a seat next to the door, laying my bag of homework on the floor. Most of it was completed, but I still had to go over some things. Those corrections Nathan made on his homework I had worked on still haunted me.

Before the movie was completely over, Nathan was already asleep. I took a look around his room. Each time I was here, I was always busy looking down or trying to leave before the dorm parent made her rounds. Looking at his walls now, I realized his odd taste in art. It's almost macabre but mesmerizing. Then on the wall next to his closet, there was a corkboard with photographs. Some of him and some friends, with Victoria in more than a few. Then others of people, I'm guessing his models. A disheveled woman sitting on a corner with a sign for help. A bloodied woman next to what looked like a car accident, crying into the arms of the man beside her.

"You sure like to snoop around," he spoke. I was a little surprised at first but calmed down soon enough.

"Nothing wrong with admiring some photographs." I held the corner of one photo. A young woman, in her early 20s possibly, with binoculars and a beautiful smile.

"Who's she?" as soon as I asked, I noticed the similarities. The same jawline and eyebrows. If her hair was up, I bet the ears would be the same too.

"Your sister?" I asked. He was looking at the wall as if with just his mind, another movie would come on. I sat on the bed next to him.

"Sensitive topic?"

"No," he finally moved his hand and eyes to the control next to him, "she left for college this year. She's not around much anymore." He started picking at the control buttons. I looked at the wall again.

"Maybe if I had looked up more often, I would've realized your passion for photography," he snorted, "what was the picture you entered for the contest?" He finally looked up at me, then squinted his eyes.

"Trying to get my secrets out of me?" he was back to his playful mood, "I heard what happened between you and those other two. You took the same photos and Jefferson got pissed." My eyes widened.

"How did _you_ hear about that?"

"The only way to keep shit from spreading is paying to keep quiet." I scoffed but it didn't surprise me that this was his response.

"I don't even care about that contest, whatever wisdom you share with me is wasted." I got up and went for my homework, he put another movie on.

Another night went by.

It was early in the afternoon when Victoria came up to me, locking our arms together and pulling me along.

"You're not busy tonight right?" she said as more of a suggestion to not be busy.

"Why, what for?" I asked before giving her a clear answer.

"Since you don't wanna go to the party this weekend you should at least help me and the girls pick outfits."

"The girls?"

"My closest friends," she answered vaguely. Couldn't help but raise my eyebrow. She cracked a pout.

"Oh just come. The worst he'll do is call you a billion times, it's not like he can forbid it."

"That's not the issue here," I answered, surprised at her worries, "Just the way you invite me is hella shady." Her face was stone. I loosened my arm from hers and draped it around her shoulder.

"Oh don't give me that, I never said I wasn't going." We went to our dorms, where I grabbed my wallet and keys. Leaving a text to Nathan, we left to meet with her friends. Immediately after meeting them I could already tell their roles. While one copied the other trooped along like a sheep. Despite that, they weren't bad girls. _More like people trying to survive high school by any means necessary._ Courtney, the shorter one with brown hair already had a good sense of style, so I didn't really see why I needed to be there.

"If you had decided to come along we totally could've hung out you know," Victoria said, still trying to persuade me to go. I kept my mouth shut about my thoughts of why she wanted me to go.

"What's so fun about being in a party with underage drunks while the teachers turn their backs from it." I tried to make it light. They laughed along.

"Well not everyone is gonna be like that-"

"Yeah, the others are just gonna be high as shit." The girls just bounced off one another, it was enough to make me laugh. I pondered a little more on it.

"But I guess it's a good way for the kids to release some of their stress," I scrunched up my nose, "but why the teachers."

"Mandatory." The three of them responded in unison. Taylor walked out of the changing room in a white top, blue jeans and a black and white patterned long cardigan.

"You look like a librarian," I said before she could even ask for our feedback. As she stomped back in Courtney and Victoria snickered. In the end, everyone concurred on her taking a short floral dress with a jean jacket. Courtney went with a sleeveless, tied button-up shirt and a white mini skirt. Victoria went a little more classy with a white knitted sweater and a simple black skirt. To my surprise, Victoria gladly paid for the outfits and the girls didn't think of it as anything new. They dropped me off in my room where I pondered my thoughts. The girls were still hoping to get me to go to the party. As fun as it sounded, it was too much to go to a pg party. Now that I think about it, chances are, I'm probably gonna have to be the pretend girlfriend. I rolled over on my bed, almost suffocating in my pillow. I held my breath before letting it out in a deep sigh. Then I fell asleep.

It was dark out when I heard a knock at my door. I turned my head to the door and spoke in a groggy voice.

"It's open." Then I laid my head back onto the pillow. I was honestly relieved to hear light steps come in. It was Victoria. I crawled forward to sit up.

"No it's okay, sorry I woke you up," she said, shaking her hand. I continued to sit up.

"It's okay, I think I'm late to meet Nathan anyways." I grabbed my phone, to check the time and the three messages from him. Victoria pulled herself up to my bed. Slouching forward, her hands clasped together.

"Do you know why Nathan and I made the Vortex club?"

"To be with people that were like you?" I answered without hesitation. She thought for a moment, then continued.

"Well, yes, but-" she took more time to think, "We already have the photography class to have people that think like us, but… not the same lives as us."

"The poor rich kids?" I teased, she was quiet. I leaned forward, holding her shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I didn't-" I tried.

"No," she raised her hand, "it's ok. You're right," she took a deep breath in. I leaned against the wall. We were quiet for a few moments before she spoke again.

"It would still mean a lot if you went. If not for us, then for the heroes contest-"

"Ugh," I looked away. _Then this means I really don't have a reason to go… other than my "relationship" with him._

"Nah, that'll make me want to go even less." She jumped off the bed with a thud.

"Suit yourself," she said while heading out the door.

The week continued, I gave Jefferson an old photograph of mine and Jo's mom, back when my mom worked at the clinic.

"A bit aged, I see." He held it up to the light. I wasn't gonna admit that I didn't take the photo.

"Yeah, I took it a few years back. Hope you don't mind, though. With only a week left for the heroes contest, I couldn't find time to take a new one." He pursed his lips, leaving the photograph on his desk.

"I'm guessing too busy with Nathan." I fell silent. I looked out the window, a small prayer that something distracting enough would happen outside.

"Ms. Thorne, I had hoped you would've taken this more seriously. You have the talent, but not the drive," he crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. I gave up on looking outside.

"That may be so, but I'm really not interested in this medium." I looked him straight in the eyes. Holding back any expressions that would be off-putting to him. He took on the challenge.

"I probably shouldn't say this," _Then don't_ , "but your other teachers and I have been worried about… your method of payment… to the school." My throat tightened.

"Excuse my frankness, but I was sure that as long as I kept my grades up, I would be allowed to continue with my scholarship." Now I crossed my arms and Jefferson moved from the desk to look for something in his archives.

"And that continues to be the plan Ms. Thorne, but," he took out what looked to be my previous assignments, "your work has only really garnered mediocre scores, placing you below the acceptable GPA of the scholarship requirement." _Ouch._ I tried to think of a response. I'd put effort to those assignments, though, admittedly, I didn't care too much about really giving life into the photographs. My arm relaxed as I looked down. It was too late to retake those assignments. Plus, knowing me, I would probably just end up half-assing it again.

 _Only one other way._

 _But I don't want to._

 _Then say goodbye to the scholarship._

 _I can't! What about-_

 _They can't help you now._

"What about the extra credit?" I asked, my eyes were shut tight. I heard his movements and gathered the courage to open them. He had a skeptical smile on him.

"I'm serious," I responded. He threw his hands up.

"So long as you stay serious," he grabbed a paper from his printer and held it out to me, "it's a list of things you have to find and photograph. Make a portfolio of your findings and turn it in by the end of the semester." I skimmed through the page. They were vague descriptions and labels of things. A couple, a judgment and loneliness. My confusion must've seeped through my expression since Jefferson continued.

"Don't focus too much on the terms. Look for the things that pop up at the moment. And remember, always take the shot." I slightly rolled my eyes. He gave a proud smile and patted my shoulder, walking past me.

" ," the door quieted, "can I ask you … don't tell Nathan?" I turned to face him. He bit his lip.

"If you're able to finish the extra credit in good time, I'll keep my end of the promise." For the first time since I started his class, I smiled. He nodded and left. I stared out the window, leaning closer to the pane. There were students outside, laughing and yelling.

"He's not gonna be happy if he finds out."

The "Everyday Heroes" contest results came in the next Friday, though by this time, everyone knew who the winner was. Jefferson had announced it Thursday during the Vortex Club party. Those who attended couldn't help but spread the news as soon as it was announced. I saw it on Friday morning, however.

 **Nathan won!?**

It was written all over everybody's FB and the school website. Juliet was bombarding me with messages about how to go along with the story. Best I could tell her was to just stick with the facts. Once outside my room, Victoria came up to me, offering to walk to the school with me.

"Are you upset he won?" she asked once we were outside the dorms.

"I didn't care about the contest, to begin with," I answered.

"I didn't ask if you were upset for losing, I asked if you were upset because he won," she restated. I gave it a moment's thought. Him winning meant that I didn't have to worry about the contest anymore. Plus, he wasn't going to be here for the weekend. I stopped. Victoria looked at me with concern.

"What?" She asked. _He won't be here for the weekend._ I think she figured it out.

"You forgot that he was gonna be gone for three days?" I shook my head.

"Hmm, maybe." I couldn't bring myself to speak anymore.

Nathan's photograph was a simple photo of the lighthouse in Arcadia Bay with the figure of a person standing a little too close to the edge of the cliff. Just seeing them there made my feet ache. When Nathan walked in front of the crowd with Principal Wells and Jefferson, there was a slight buzz that weighed heavily over the hesitant claps and eager booing. Wells cleared his throat.

"As many of you heard last night during the Vortex Club party, the winner of the 'Everyday Heroes' contest is Nathan Prescott." Nathan nodded while Jefferson gave him a pat on the back. He had a serious face on but you could tell he was getting a kick out of seeing the other competitors so upset. I turned to Victoria, who had a very poker face.

"Are you upset he won?" I teased. She bit her lip, nonetheless, she answered.

"No, no, Nathan is just as talented as I am. This only means I have to improve to get to his level." Though it didn't show, there was a slight bitterness to her response. I patted her back, giving her a reassuring smile.

To make it look like we were gonna miss each other, we decided on a date to the park. It was close to sundown by the time we left. The park was southeast of the town and much closer to the state forest. A small area in front of the hiking trail is where we decided to walk around. I wore a simple black shirt tucked into a pair of gray jeans and burgundy sneakers. He wore his usual red jacket with a gray tee underneath. He swapped his usual dress shoes for yeezys. We followed a path that went around the picnic area in bittersweet silence. I guess he got fed up.

"Are you disappointed you lost?" he asked, sitting underneath a large willow tree. I sat next to him.

"Not really, I didn't even try the second time." I leaned against the tree, looking up. It was a beautiful sight. The night sky was overcoming the daytime as the sun shone the last ray of pink on the clouds.

"Wonder if you'll see this in San Francisco…" I added, breaking the peace.

"Already missing me?" he teased but I couldn't respond. _Am I gonna miss you?_ His mischievous smile faded and he nudged me.

"Probably just gonna be weird not having anything to do in the afternoons," I finally responded.

"You're not traveling away this weekend?"

"Nope, don't have any plans… maybe I'll call up my old friend, see if he's got anything entertaining to do."

"Wow, you actually have friends your age?"

"Yes, I do. I may not talk to others but that doesn't mean I'm a social outcast." I said, a little too angrily. I took a breath and calmed down. I closed my eyes.

"What _do_ you do on the weekends?"

"Not much, just visit home," I answered quickly. He fell silent. I thought he had given up on a conversation.

"And your old friend?" he asked bitterly.

"I see him every other day, when he's not too bothered to drive down here," I opened my eyes, giving up on getting a little nap. I stretched out my arms.

"The closest neighborhood is three minutes away?" he said in a confused tone. I elaborated.

"He lives up in North Arcadia. That's where my house is too," maybe now it was adding up. He got a skeptical look now.

"So that's why you don't fit in," I rolled my eyes as he began to chuckle.

"North Arcadia is not that different from here. It's not like it's another planet."

"Wait, don't tell me you're from that public school!" he began to laugh harder. I wasn't getting it.

"What's so funny?" I asked in frustration. He eased up and cleared his throat.

"It makes more sense now, why the other girls were so mad when we started dating," he said it so naturally. I felt a little offended.

"Why do you think I'm on a scholarship? It's not exactly easy to live so 'far' away."

"What minimum wage do your parents have to drive you to this point?" he asked, still trying to tease. But I couldn't answer him. Well, I could've, it wasn't that hard to explain, but the words were stuck in my stomach.

"They don't have jobs, at least not normal ones," I fell silent again, unable to add more.

"Like what?"

"Why do you care?"

"I'd like to at least figure out if my 'girlfriend' isn't in on this just for the money," he was being funny with his smile slowly fading. I swallowed my words and regurgitated different ones.

"My mom has a stay at home job, making money from the clients that visit her. And my dad… succumbed."

"To what-"

"He just succumbed, that's it," I added defensively. He backed off, for the moment.

"I have one more question," he spoke a little quieter. I turned to look at him and was barely able to see his sternness.

"If it's more about the contest, I told you-"

"Not that," daylight was becoming dimmer, "when's this gonna end?" I was caught off guard. But I had an answer ready.

"Until you get bored stringing me along," a slight breeze passed between us, the leaves rattling.

"Like a whore," the only light guiding me was the gloss over his eyes.

"Yeah."

He was gone early the next morning.

Having nothing to do, I stayed home while my mom worked. Walking in a few times while she was in the middle of a session. Jo must've known I was gonna be bored, either that or mom called his mom to get me out of the house. Around four, he called me to go to the drive-in with him. Then later when I was gonna meet up with him, he called to tell me his girlfriend was joining us. I sighed, but I couldn't bring myself to step out of it. The movie he wanted to go see was an R rated movie. Having a random guy go in by himself was already too suspicious.

"Fine, but I'm bringing someone along," I was finishing up with getting ready.

"Ugh, not the Prescott kid." I rolled my eyes.

"Relax, he's not even in the state. It's that kid that was picking you up last month."

"You still talk to him?"

"Mmm, not really, but he's my backup for things like this," I grabbed my keys and headed to my car.

"Fine, but you're gonna pay for him," I snorted. As if that was gonna be a challenge.

"Gotcha, we're meeting at the corner store right?" he hummed as confirmation. Once I hung up on him, I called Warren. There was a slight sound of something in the background.

"Hello?" he didn't sound too thrilled.

"Yo Warren, my very best friend, you're not busy this fine Saturday are ya?" I asked but didn't let him respond, "good, because you and I have plans. Are you at the school or where?"

"The dorms…" he was hesitating.

"Great, get ready in five, I'll be there in eight." I hung up before he could protest.

Like the obedient little kid that he was, he waited outside by the bikes. I rolled up next to him.

"So where are we going?"

"The movies of course," I eyed him a little, "you're dressed pretty fancily," he blushed, "well, you waiting for a formal invitation? Get in." He finally did so and we drove off. Heading north, Warren caught on that something was up.

"I thought you said we're going to the movies?"

"Technically, we're going to the drive-in, second, we need to make a quick stop." I gave a smile, which worsened his fear.

As we pulled up by Jo's car, Warren lost the color on his face. Jo's girlfriend wasn't too thrilled to see me either. I got out first, discussing the rest of the plan.

"Your car or mine?" I asked and Jo leaned on his car.

"Best be yours, my sound system's shit." I raised my eyebrow.

"You still haven't fixed it?"

"I did, it just went back to shit afterward," he said. What an excuse. I gave in and handed him my keys. I quickly told Warren to head to the back. Then grabbed an old picnic blanket from the trunk. Jo's girlfriend unhappily sat in the back as well. I handed them the blanket and instructed on when to hide. When we were all settled, Jo drove us off to the drive-in. A short line lead through the gates of the parking lot. That was when I warned the two to put the blanket over each other and lie down. The security guard did suspect the lumpy back, which I quickly excused as a shitty back seat. Once inside, I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so lucky this is an independent drive-in," I said, trying to hold back my laughter. We were guided to the available space and the two kids were able to get rid of the blanket.

"You ready for your first R rated movie Warren?" I asked before I switched seats with the girlfriend. Almost as soon as I was sitting next to him, he whispered.

"This isn't my first R film," he sounded so guilty. I laughed a little.

"You'll get over it soon enough."

The film showing was "Teeth". The sexual tension got the Jo and his girlfriend, who then proceeded to make out in front of us. I sighed, which didn't deter the two. I tugged on Warren's sleeve and led him out of the car.

"Let's go get some snacks," I exclaimed. Despite the place being a very small known area, they still managed to have a concessions stand. However, that didn't have anything too appetizing, especially with the content of the movie.

"So I guess you must be missing him," Warren spoke. I nearly jumped at the sound of his normal voice.

"I don't- wait, who?" I stepped out of the line and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms and gave a mischievous smile.

"Oh, Nathan… no," I couldn't help but turn away. He stood next to me and nudged my elbow.

"You're not a very good liar," he had a stupid smile on now. I pursed my lips.

"Well, what other thing am I supposed to say? I miss him of course, he's my boyf-" I couldn't finish. He wasn't my boyfriend. Not really. It's always hard to speak to him and get along with him because he's so different from the people I'm used to. Still, I feel so bad for him. It didn't take long to notice what his deal was but it still too long to confirm anything, with him being so closed in.

"Man you have it bad," he laughed. Again, his different tone surprised me. Or maybe it was his words. I touched my cheek and felt the heat.

"It's not that, I-" _I'm not even his real girlfriend._ I leaned back against the wall and hid my face. He's right, I'm a bad liar. Can't even lie to myself.

"Oh god, what'll he think!" I felt like crying, but no tears streamed down. Instead, my heart beat out of my chest and a smile formed on my lips.

"What'll who think?" he asked, I shook my head. I just need a moment. Or an entire lifetime.


	8. Moon River Hiatus (temporary)Halloween

**I hate having to do this, as much as I wanna continue the story. But lately, I have lost the motivation to continue with this story. I kept forcing myself to write because I told myself, "You already have an ending, why are you stalling?" When the truth of the matter is that I just couldn't think of how to continue with it. Especially since right now, all I really want to do is write for the Genjix reader story and finish it up (especially since truthfully, I don't know how to end that one yet) I also realized that the story lacked a lot with my disinterest affecting it.**

 **So until further notice, "Moon River and Me" is on hiatus**.

* * *

I bought a new radio. It was to play my mp3 on it in the mornings and when I would do my homework in my room. I also bought a candle. Since I wasn't really busy that weekend, I ended up hotboxing the room a lot. I hated the smell it left on my clothes and the entire room in general. The clothes I could wash with some strong fabric softener, easy-peasy. It was the room that I couldn't get rid of the smell from. I had taken one picture from Jefferson's extra credit list, but the more I stared at it, the more it looked boring. It didn't feel like the "overboard" image I originally thought- when I took the photo- and it seemed so far out there now. I sighed, laying my head on my vanity and holding up the picture. It would still be a shame to throw it out.

He came back this morning; he was so tired out from the plane rides and driving around all weekend he decided to stay in his room and sleep the day away. He hadn't texted me and Victoria, so we decided to let him be. It might've been shady for me not to go to him, being his "girlfriend" and all. What can one do? Besides, I was trying to avoid him for the time being. Until I could figure out how to go about with my feelings. The things that I had already crossed from the list were: I liked him well enough, he was definitely eye candy to me, and I did feel a sense of loneliness when he was gone. Not when we were separated for a day since there was always a reassurance that I would see him again almost right away. What was convincing me that these weren't too deep of feelings, was my lack of knowledge about him. I couldn't bear to trust someone like him with so many emotions. Especially someone as unstable as Nathan. I hate that thought. To say something so terrible about him. I tried to think of something else… I'd gotten my car washed and I was thinking about painting it. What color I don't really know. There was also all the teachers that were urging me to look deeper into the different scholarships for Washington state uni. All except Jefferson. I didn't mind it, he already knew my stance on his class. I sighed heavily and got up from my chair. I grabbed my sweater and pulled it over my head, heading out to my car. I couldn't tell the people here about what was going on with me. To them, it already looked like I loved him. When in reality, I was only beginning to do so. I gave a quick text to Jo and asked him to meet me at the park. He responded while I was driving. I took a quick glance, only catching a glimpse of a "no-". I parked to the side to take a good look at it.

"no way"

I took a moment before replying. It was definitely the girlfriend. Damn it all!- if only I could remember the girl's name. After sending the text, I gave a call. Sent to voicemail. I groaned, throwing my phone on the passenger seat. I reversed the car and headed back.

At the dorms, just outside of one of the benches sat Nathan. I knew his figure well enough now to distinguish him from a crowd. My heart raced as I approached him. I wasn't doing it deliberately. He had seen me, he had to, he was sitting in front of the entrance from the parking lot. I gave a weak smile as he looked up. I threw myself next to him on the seat, feeling his shoulder against mine. I wanted to rub it a little, but didn't, cause that would be weird.

"Finally caught up on your sleep?" He had his camera in hand. Actually, looking at him from this distance, I could tell he hadn't gotten the sleep he said he was trying to get. I nudged him a little, holding back a lot. I leaned closer to his side, again, tempted to lean my head into his shoulder. Even if we weren't faking it, I would still be too scared of him hearing the sound of my heartbeat. I took a peek at his camera, he was scrolling through some photos. I'm guessing of San Francisco. There was a sunny beach, a bonfire, and some girls. They were all smiling at him- I assume since it is his camera. I try not to pout and back off.

"They were friends of Jefferson's," he said coolly. I pretended not to hear and hummed. I suddenly heard the sound of people coming by and leaned closer to him. He was cut off guard and took a look at me with skepticism. As the students passed by, I gave him a sincere smile, though still teasing. I followed the group with my eyes until they were inside the building. They gave a few glances back to us- of course, I acknowledged them. Once they were inside, I lost my smile and turned back to my side.

"Why so glum then?" I asked. Looking straight at him. He couldn't handle the intensity and looked away.

"Why was my picture chosen?" I leaned my head back a little.

"Because Jefferson was the judge, and you seem to be the most talented out of the other talentless hacks- oop, except for Victoria," I said, the last part aimed more towards the universe.

"Wish I could say the same." It reminded me of a song. I heard another group coming by and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"Whatever he said to you, don't let it get to you," he held one of my hands and my cheeks started to tint. Once the group passed by and was out of sight, he pulled my hand off.

"He's not a very good teacher," I stated matter of factly. He scoffed and started to bounce his knees. I stared at it for a second, he seemed oblivious of his motions. I stood up, taking his hand and pulling him alongside me.

"Let's go eat," I suggested, when he rose his eyebrow, I responded, "you owe me after standing me up so much." I still held his hand, he didn't take it back. He rolled his head and sighed.

"Fine." He took the lead this time, letting my hand go. I skipped to keep up with him- I couldn't help it.

We ate at a burger shack close to the south end of the beach. We were lucky to get seats by the windows that overlooked the ocean. Though it got annoying as the sunset and hit our eyes. I didn't let the date end there, pulling him to stroll around the beach. He stopped every now and then to take pictures of the things on the ground. A small pile of cigarette butts next to the path with ants making a highway around it, I got curious and followed it, only to find a dead seagull. I tugged Nathan's sleeve. To my surprise, he wasn't appalled, in fact, the complete opposite. He took a picture, a grim expression on his face. Is this why he got so upset about winning? We continued to his car after the small photoshoot, eager to not find any more dead things. He laughed at my disgust. There's the old Nathan.

At the dorms, he left me in my room, saying he didn't have anything for me to do. With a small audience in the hall, he left a kiss on my cheek- more like a pat- and left. The others standing outside stared for a while before I bucked at them to piss off. Kate was the only one who came up to me. A thermal and a tin box in one hand and two mugs hanging by her fingers on the other.

"Want some tea time?" she asked, dismissing the stares she was getting. I hesitated, remembering the burning sensation. She must've noticed.

"I didn't boil it too much this time, and!-" she handed me the tin box, I opened it, "I got some new fruit teas." She continued to smile. I couldn't help but smile and agreed.

We sat outside, the wind blowing at our hair, the mugs keeping our hands warm. I'd taken one of the fruit teas, as they were sweeter.

"You and Nathan must've really missed each other," she chirped. I guess that's how everyone saw it. I blushed still and looked down into the cup.

"I don't know if he missed me," it was the truth, "but I really missed him." She cocked her head to the side.

"You don't think he missed you?" she was sounding really scared. I laughed a little to ease her tension.

"It's not that he ignored me or something… just-" I was at a loss for words, "he, just acted like everything was same old same old." I left the cup on the table. Playing with my fingers and looking away. She held out her hand and patted my shoulder, then gave a reassuring smile. I tried to smile back, but it was weak. I could tell. My gaze wandered until it hit Nathan's room. There was a small cloud blowing out the window. He was either getting high or just smoking. Where I was, and where he is, felt like the exact same distance that's been there since the beginning.

It became almost like a bad habit. As soon as we saw each other in the morning I would hold his hand. Sometimes dramatically or sometimes acting naturally. I would be the first out of class to catch up with him in the halls and see him off to class. Sometimes we switched, and he would drop me off. Every time, we would give, either a half hug or a full hug. Each time afterward, I would blush out of his sight and my heart would feel like I was floating. Sometimes he didn't like my "overacting", which I had to watch out for since I didn't want to ruin anything. All the same, I had to keep wondering why exactly did I like him to this extent?


End file.
